Reaper
by plink
Summary: COMPLETED! A shonenai story that focuses on the rebirth of both Prozen and Hiltz as well as their relationship. Also focuses on Thomas & Raven, Fiona's real identiy as the Dark Kaiser, and how many Zoidians were...evil. Blood, sex and Zoids. R&R?
1. 0 The Joining

_Before you read this, understand that this will be updated slowly. I normally write several chapters ahead so I can change things piece by piece if needs be. However, this one's just waiting to come out, and it will take time. Simpler than last time, this is a yaoi love triangle, throw in a little betrayal of former team mates and a secret long since buried. My own, personal belief, that the DeathSaurer was not as it seemed. Yea, my second R-rated fic (first one being Pet, an FFVII one) so please, be gentle…very gentle…_

Prologue: The Joining__

It was agony as they touched, they joined. And yet, here was a part he had lost, here was a part he had found. Beautiful in its simplicity, here was what he wanted, here was his destiny.

"Are you afraid?"

"…A little."

"There's no shame in being afraid. Do not fear the loss of what you were."

"No…not with you here." There was nothing between them, not a stitch of clothing and he gritted his teeth as another surge of power lapped at his nerves. He opened one bright eye and stared into the calm gaze of his companion, wondering if he felt the same pain, or if he did not. Opening his mouth to speak, their lips met in a searing kiss, pain and pleasure intertwined. 

"Yes. I feel it." He purred. "But my body is used to it. I have felt the pain since my birth."

"…The pain…what…what is it…?"

A gentle, loving smile. Pure forgiveness for the crime that was committed. A delicate hand brushed away a few strands of hair from his face, and again, that soft, seductive whisper. "Everything is born missing a part of its soul. Sometimes you find that missing piece in another. Everything that I lost when I was torn from the body of my creator, I find in you."

The bittersweet pain that came next almost reduced him to tears. "…You must…hate me…for…what I've done…to you…"

"Hate you? Why?" Genuinely perplexed, his companion arched his body slightly to ease his own discomfort as the joining continued, their bodies harmonising. Or maybe it was to quicken it. More pain lashed inside his legs, moving upwards.

Brow furrowed, he tried to concentrate on an answer. "…I…hurt you…"

"Everyone is hurt. It is something you can never avoid." The spectre cuddled him closer, and he could not help but slide his own arms around the pale form and bury his head in his shoulder. 

"…Please…"

"Shhh." Again, a gentle kiss. "You are hurt. You must rest and let the energy take you. It cannot touch us here. Not in the shell. It will not feed upon you or I anymore."

"…Hurts…" Sheer agony as it crawled up his belly and lashed wickedly across his chest. Now his arms were in pain, like searing heat beneath the skin, hurting, _hurting_…

And the _hunger_…

"You made this choice, you alone. If you survive the transformation, I will know your heart told me the truth about your soul. You must rid yourself of everything that poisons you…if you do not…"

"…I know…" _I will die_.

The other leant forward and their mouths met, a kiss to feed him. The heated blood passed between them, burning his throat, filling his cramping stomach, numbing the pain. A final act of love and power, the final piece of the intricate puzzle of life.

And then he began to scream as the power took him completely, the disjoined sensation of the other leaving him, the safety around his soul leaving him on his own. Ripped apart by a thousand hands, then put back together again, over and over, the darkness swallowing up what was left of his fragile consciousness. 

Then the descent into utter hell.

~ to be continued.

_*Bashing her head against her keyboard* Dirty, dirty, dirty. _

_Please R&R, it means so much to me if you do…Oh yes, and this fic is dedicated to the Zoid_Boys group, for being so damn understanding about odd couplings…^_^_


	2. 1 What was lost is now found

Chapter 1: What was lost is now found

Self-loathing was something Rhyss Nadisika was no stranger to. In fact, the older she got, the more it seemed to come into play. Seated in a borrowed CommandWolf, Specula's thoughts merged with her own, all she could think about was the fight a few days ago, and the knowledge that came with it. She hadn't slept since then. She couldn't.

_What's the matter, Rhyss?_ Breathed Hiltz' voice. _Scared that the world is ending?_

"Of course I am."

Funny how the humans thought that 'world ending' meant the DeathSaurer destroying everything. But Rhyss hadn't seen that, no, far from it. And now, deep inside her, she could feel it stirring, the familiar sensation of hate rising, the urge to kill. 

At first, she had believed that Raven Prozen – ZoidEVE knew why he kept his foster father's last name – was the same as her. Had the same needs. But his was born of tragedy, while she had willingly accepted the power into her body, sold her soul for the price of the power.

_I wonder if any of them know the truth_ Hiltz breathed into her ears.

"You're dead, shut up."

_I'm surprised the Kaiser didn't pick up on it. Oh, but of course not…how could he? You and your people blinded him with the Corruption. Very clever._

"You were a Zoidian. Why did you betray us?"

The spectre said nothing. He wouldn't; of course, this was Rhyss' memory of him. She had known from the day they'd met what would happen to him, just as any other Reaper would. That was one of the Great Gifts. However…as Hiltz had slid back into old habits, it had been a hard fight helping the darkness seize him. He was already angry, it just took a bit of quick thinking to push him over into madness. 

She stared down at the people cleaning up the wreckage.

The city of ZoidEve had not been destroyed completely. In fact, while most of its ruins had fallen, been destroyed, there were some that were eagerly being explored by scientists and pilots alike. The DeathSaurer was high on everybody's list, seeing as humanity never really knew when to let sleeping dogs lie.

_Or sleeping Hertz._

That thought was hers and hers alone. She strongly suspected that the entity known as Gunther Prozen…and also, in the Reaper records, Winter Drachnia…had probably retreated deep into his corporeal shell when the original DeathSaurer – the one that had caused all that trouble in Guylos – had taken over his mind. Were the humans that naive as to think that Prozen was _just like them_?

Did they have any _idea_?

Van Flyheight and the voluptuous Fiona Alisi Lynette were talking excitedly. She watched them through dull eyes, her hate growing. More stirring, the familiar feeling of coldness deep inside her belly, the anger…

Any idea at all? Maybe Rudolph's grandfather knew. The old fart had probably very perceptive of his foster son, which explained how the GenoSaur, Raven's Zoid, was created. Humans were very clever at creating things from old dead things, including abandoned Zoidian technology. Would Irvine feel so safe if he knew his Lightning Saix was also made with the blueprints, and a core specifically created from the man they all hated?

_Did they have any idea what power was in their grasp_?

"Nadisika."

Her head snapped up. For a moment she felt fear, not knowing what was going on, blinded by the powers that still shifted beneath the sands. But of course, this was outside communications… "I'm here."

"Report. We can't see."

"They're still looking. They're picking apart the city like beachcombers-"

"Sacrilege"

"Yes, Lord. They're looking for answers, Alisi looks…happy. She looks…content. I believe she is safe with Lt. Flyheight. I don't think he has…tried to breed her yet."

"We'd know. As long as she's safe. How far away are they from him?"

"Him, sir?"

"The Rare Hertz."

"Prozen is dead. He's not coming back." Rhyss laughed nervously. "I did everything I could, I drowned them both, there's nothing left-"

"We've found the core, Nadisika. We have found the body of Hiltz Sierra, and it was intact. Explain."

"I…I don't understand…he…"

"He is _alive_. But barely. We have reason to believe our little Hertz is behind this. How close are they to us? We cannot see, Nadisika. We are blind. You are our eyes. EVE is singing too loudly, and is blinding us…"

Rhyss' head spun. _Not EVE. This is Prozen's doing…that bastard, he_ knew.

"Close. Very close. I suggest you leave now."

"But if there is a chance at recovering the Rare Hertz, and breaking him before his time, we will have success…" There was a smug tone to the man's voice. "And even better, if we can get Hiltz into functioning like a human being, would it not be poetic justice to have _him_ do it?"

Sudden warmth filled Rhyss, and she blushed. "Indeed. That would be a most…wonderful idea." The thoughts of breaking the human's only defence against the Reapers made her feel so…_good_…

"All right then. We will continue our exploration of the-NO!"

The presence retreated quickly from her mind, and she realised that the others were running with their find, leaving the half depleted core open to the world, revealing all it's secrets. She could hear the yells and cries of the people who found it, and sense their growing fear.

_But why fear something like that?_

It was a depleted core, yes? No chance of danger?

She leant forward in her seat, tugging against the straps to see the people down below as they tore the other half free. Hell, the two groups had been so _close_…a few stones apart…and while the Reapers had attacked one side of the core, the Guardian Force had the other…

Sudden pain, inside her head…

Visions of flame and blood…

The screams of the damned…

Blood…

And before she blacked out into the spiralling darkness of oblivion, she saw them tug it loose, the womb of the last Rare Hertz, and within it, she could hear it's foul, beating heart, ready to be crushed beneath the palm of the last force on Zi…

And then there was the happy childish laughter of the one person who had made her forget everything about her cruel and unusual past, made her forget her joy at ending the lives of those who were innocent.

And Nicolai watched her, his face gentle. 

"I'm sorry, Rhyss. This is the way things must be."

And then Rhyss fell.

~ to be continued. 

_Sorry the next chapter took so long. I'm working on stuff…feelin' a little down…*sniffle*too much to cope with right now. I'll be ok. Honest._


	3. 2 Out of the frying pan

There are a lot of adult themes in this. Death, blood, mentioned rape, a bad man who doesn't keep his hands to himself, and even poor Hiltz doesn't come through unscathed. Don't worry, he'll get even in the end. Anyway, I hope things aren't OOC, but anyway…warning yucky things ahead. Slugs! Woo!

Chapter 2: Out of the frying pan…

In the darkness he shifted, turned and fell, the undulating rhythms of life catching him and spinning him around and around the ripples of night.

_I…_

Hands reaching, trying to catch a hold of anything, anything at all-

_I…am…_

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't fight-

_I am…_

He broke the surface, and opened his eyes, air filling his cramped lungs.

Gone was the dark water that held him tightly, smothered him in its embrace. Nothing moved, his body felt as heavy as a stone. Was this…? He fumbled with his memories, the fear. Was this what was supposed to happen? Was it over? Had he lived to tell the tale?

_Of course you're alive, you idiot. You're thinking._

Sobered up a little he looked around, his vision hazy. His eyes wanted to close, he needed to sleep. What? Willingly return to the darkness?

No, _not_ darkness. Just warm security. Where…?

More memories-

"Sierra." Called a voice.

It was one he recognised. It brought back memories from a long, long time ago, when the world was so different, when he really _did_ have a name. The Sierras were among the most respected handlers in the community…little Hiltz, his hair tied back, staff in hand, ready to beat the living daylights out of anyone or anything that dared disobey. He'd been a good boy, he'd learned from the best, his father. 

Father didn't care he was a half-breed. That his mother was Delnia. Mixing blood was frowned upon by the aristocracy, but nonetheless…the Delnia were respected somewhat, for their abilities to survive. 

But he, Hiltz Sierra, was not. He was a half-breed. He did not _belong_.

Yes…the crates, moving the subjects in, sensing their fear. Waiting for the inevitable breakaway, and that curious look they always gave him, a look of intense disbelief, hatred, something he did not understand until he was older, a look that said: _You are one of us, but you are helping the enemy…_

And the day that…

"Hiltz, please…"

Pleading. He remembered the frightened voice. Only it wasn't calling _his_ name, it was calling out for its parents. The crate had dropped, the creature hadn't tried to escape, had just lain there, stunned. How pathetic it had looked, still clad in its teaching clothes, the soft linen tunic and pants, and a roughly hewn pendant of quartz, the symbol of the 'Rare Hertz'. How small and bedraggled…almost a babe in arms…the child had been.

And how stunned he was when the child had latched onto him for safety.

Pale of skin, with wide crimson eyes and white hair that hung to his shoulders and framed his sweet face, the infant Rare Hertz had been captured at great personal risk by the Reapers, the bounty hunters of sorts of the Zoidian race. Many had died; the Hertz, or Prozen in the language of the Zoidians, had defended the child with the kind of ruthlessness that was evident in the Reapers themselves. The memory of the blue haired Zoidian he had met later…name…Rhyss…yes…that was it…her look…

_Don't get close to him…_

But he couldn't help it. The helplessness gave him strength. He was attracted to the creature, as it lay defenceless at the bottom of its cage, always so weak and sick. He was _protecting_ it. Something inside him had activated an irresistible tide of happiness. He was a child, but already, he _knew_. Something about this child was special…the child was _his_ and nobody could do anything about it.

_Hiltz…_

Yes, tugging at his shirt on the days out. Hiltz can I see the sky? Please?

Prozen…why was that word so familiar?

Then came the day his mother and his little sisters had been taken away. The Reapers had come for him as well…bad blood they said…and he'd been so afraid. He'd run. He'd run to the holding bays, and stared into the cold dead eyes of the captives. Without their freedom, they were dead men walking, and they knew it. Every day, the numbers got smaller, and he never questioned why. Questions always led to bad things, and later, he would learn the truth. That the Prozen…that word again, it's a name, isn't it?…were instruments to create the cores of the Zoids themselves. Their bodies transformed into a pure energy form, they were sacrificed to create the power for the Zoids to run. And that the newest Zoid, the fearsome UltraSaurus was going to go to war with the remainder of Zi's native species to destroy them once and for all. It needed something else to make it run…Rare Hertz. 

The child, yes, he remembered now…they had captured him to try and see what made them work, so they wouldn't have to hunt and die to find them. So they could make more. Such atrocities…the survivors of the experiments…frightened creatures…_dying_ creatures…

Yes, yes, he remembered now…the DeathSaurer…yes, it was all coming back…

He'd run, run to the child. He'd hidden there until his father had come down and found him curled up in the arms of the other boy, and sat with them until the Reapers had left, weeping for his lost wife and children. His only surviving son, who was clever enough to hide where the captured lay.

Yes…

They'd left then…and he'd been so upset, he was leaving _his_ Hertz behind. He was leaving the most important creature in his life behind, more than his mother, his siblings. How he'd cried and screamed for release. He knew, in his heart what was happening. The same day, that was it, yes, he'd gone running back from the desert train to find the facility burning. People he'd known, cared about, the scientists, they had died in front of him from the sheer power exhibited by the DeathSaurer. The two best pilots, a man and a woman, they were using the Skorns to keep it in check, and now their bodies lay in ruin and destruction. The DeathSaurer waited, watching the entrance…

The white light…

_Charged particle beam_

It had hit him. It had torn apart the people around him, and left him unscathed. How? Why?

Voices. Blood on the wreckage. Blood covering him, as red as his hair…_Blood_…

Another explosion, from the main labs, and he'd turned, watching the Rare Hertz come out of the smoke, a dazed look on his face. He had blood on his clothing, and, the frightened child in his mind recollected, blood on his face, blood from his eyes. He was crying.

Then…the DeathSaurer…

"Hiltz, you have to wake up now."

So much time…he'd slept in the capsules. His father had sealed him in one to protect him, but Ambient had gone. Ambient was elsewhere…The DeathSaurer…it had…

_Diseased and corrupt, the newborn mind latched onto any sentient mind like a leech, draining free will, draining joy, happiness, love…the Reapers called it the Dark Kaiser…it was…_

Reapers…followed them…Hertz and Dellnia, sleeping…

_Something happened, something dark, I can see it…_

Yes, yes, _yes_…Rhyss, Rhyss talking to him…he…worked for the Dark Kaiser, the shell of his Hertz…while the real creature waited for release, of course…Something…horrible…

The ground beneath him, metal by the feel of it, moved and he was swivelled upright to stare sleepily into the faces all around him. But not the faces of long ago, in his dreams, the faces of the captives he had hurt, the people he'd killed…and most of all, the many lives that had sacrificed themselves to make up the DeathSaurer's core. A willing sacrifice, and…they'd…he'd…

"Welcome back to the world, Mr Sierra." Drawled a quiet male voice. Hiltz' eyes focused on him for a moment, and he saw rich orange hair in sharp gelled quills. His staring eyes were cold and dark, a pale and cold blue. Familiar.

"Payne." Hiltz croaked.

"So you _do_ remember where you came from. Well, well. This was…unexpected." He smiled cruelly. "And I must say, excellent and commendable work with the destruction of Zi thing you had going."

"…Wh…what?"

"Memory a little foggy? You were very strong, but in the end, you let us into your pretty little head. We had a _lot_ of fun. Did you really think your boy Winter was still alive in that husk?"

"…Pr…Prozen?"

"Of course." Payne gave him a curt nod. "The Dark Kaiser program was a brilliant piece of ingenuity. And you clung to him, vowing to bring him back to the world, until you too, were a part of it. Anything to be rid of that damned Zoid." He muttered to himself.

"…You orchestrated everything." Hiltz whispered, getting stronger. He was tied down, he realised, bound to the table. "You've done everything from the start."

"Naturally. The Reapers are dedicated to their cause. If one Hertz escaped us, then we would sleep and wait to follow. Of course, some things were screwed up, but we still managed to piece it together. But, uh, what did you think of the finishing touch of Fine…oh yes, sorry, _Fiona_ and that little organoid, what was it…Zeke? Brilliant. Sheer poetry."

"…Then Rhyss…"

"You are the most stupid and fucked up person I have ever met." Payne yawned. "And you know what the incredibly sad, and pathetic thing is? Your man sacrificed whatever energy he had left to purify you."

_Impossible. It had already begun, I think, in the DeathStinger. But Prozen wasn't there, how…?_

"So, should I bring you up to speed?" Payne asked, pressing his face close to Hiltz' ear. Shivers went down the red head's back, and he gasped as Payne's hand went to a certain part of his anatomy. "Shall I? I think I will. You've been stuck in a Zoid core for a week. You have no traces of the Kaiser program in your body, it's completely gone, thanks to your boyfriend.: He hissed disdainfully. "Rhyss has infiltrated the Guardian Force and is preparing Fiona for the next stage. Of _course_, she's also our eyes and ears. Oh yes, and everyone's rejoicing in the fact that you're dead."

Hiltz bit his lip. Payne was doing things he shouldn't with certain parts of his anatomy.

"Fact is, recent studies have suggested that our little friend is still alive, and we can't have that. Zi will be ruled again by the Zoidians, regardless of what the humans want. Regardless of what _you_ want. They can have all the pissy democracy they want and fart around playing toy soldiers, but _it doesn't matter_. ZoidEVE is ours now." He grasped Hiltz by the balls and gave him a playful squeeze. "And your life means shit all. Pity, isn't it."

"Fuck you!"

"You're a pretty face. I may just let you do that if you push me too far." Payne looked down. "Come _on_. Even Stinger was a _little_ hard after this sort of treatment. He wanted to run after we asked him to try and secure Emperor Rudolph, just to even the scores a little. Failed of course. I believe you killed him."

"…!!"

"You don't have that much of a recollection after you got the DeathStinger do you? Didn't think so. Everything becomes a blur when you're high." Payne's smile was filled with malice now. "You could have had _everything_, Hiltz, if only you'd taken what Rhyss could have offered you. You could have been one of _us,_ the chosen few. One of the founding fathers of the new race of Zoidians. I'm pretty sure we could get some of that Delnia blood out of you." His free hand ruffled Hiltz' red curls. "Got that from yo' mama, didn't you?" His eyes darkened. "Well guess what? I _fucked_ yo' mama!"

Hiltz snarled. 

"Yeah, when we found your little den, I had your mother so many times I made her bleed before I sent her down to one of the Stations. Delnia women are tight, real good. Curvy, not like Zoidian women at all. So are Hertz, sorry, let's be politically correct here, _Prozen_. Tastes good…'course, that's our little secret, okay? Can't have the others thinking I like stuff outside the _species_, that's plain _sick_."

"I'm going to _kill_ y-UGH!" His body jerked at the sudden intrusion.

"You will talk to me with respect, _boy_. I'm Payne Janae. I'm head of this operation, and you are under our command now. I'm going to make you into a Reaper, and you're going to break that bastard once and for all. I know he's still alive. I can _taste_ him, I can _feel_ him. Feels good, huh? Did he ever do this to you? Yeah? Feel it bitch, 'cos next time it's going to be a lot bigger."

"…Fuck…you…"

"Nah, I'd rather slap you around. You're funner that way. No, I'm saving _this_" He grabbed his own crotch and gave it an affectionate fumble. "For our Hertz. Now, onto better business. How am I going to secure my source of power? Through you of course, as pathetic as you are, and don't give me that look. You won't have a _choice_." He turned away, patting his hands against the grubby overalls he was wearing. Hiltz watched, angry,  but far from ashamed. He hadn't responded, that was good enough for him. Stinger was dead…sad because the guy had good points…but had he chained naked to a rack too?

"Say hello to my little friend." Payne sang. In his hands was a jar. In that jar was something that made Hilrz' insides curl up and wither away.

"Mern." He whispered, horrified.

It looked like a fat semi translucent slug, that could easily sit at on a saucer, shot through with lines of twinkling blue and red that sparkled as is moved. It was clearly excited, sliding up the glass, one end telescoping up to nudge the lid. 

_It could sense him_.

"I'm going to ask nicely. Open wide and let him in."

"No."

"Open up, or I ask the others to open your mouth for you."

"_No_." Came the hiss.

"All right then. Khem! Ayla!"

The two Zoidians entered the room and with business like grace, pried Hiltz' mouth open and held him in that horrible position as he tried to twist free. Payne advanced, and he heard the horrible sound of the lid coming off…and then…

_OhmyGOD_-

Something cold, sliding into his mouth. Tried to scream, tried to block it out with his tongue, eyes screwing up at the taste of it, the slick gunk that now covered his lips, the suffocating feel of it sliding down his throat-

"Guh-UCK!!!"

-The sticky sensation did not leave his mouth as the other two let go and he could only scream as the coldness slid into his belly. They undid the straps and he fell forward, his body no longer under his control as his stomach cramped from the intrusion. His heart was pounding, as was his head, his mouth filled with glue-

"Take it like a man. Stop wailing like a girl."

-And waves of it came upwards, dull dark anger. Hatred, Reapers and Mern, intricately bound, both hating the same enemy, both parasites, both wanting the same thing, freedom-

"You know, if you were willing, it wouldn't be like this. It'd feel nice. Like the best orgasm you'd ever have. Of course, when you're unwilling, well, it hurts like hell right Hiltz?"

-More cramps, vicious ones. His body fought back though, and he gagged, trying to bring it back up again as it burrowed deeper into his body, spewing out it's foul fluids to cement it deeper. He managed to stick his fingers down his throat to try and bring it back up-

_Yeah!_

His back arched and he felt it move as his stomach twisted-

"Oh no you don't, you little turd." Laughed Payne, slamming a booted foot into Hiltz' side. He spasmed, too late, the feeling gone. All that came out was clear goop, nothing much at all.

Mouth a little freer though.

"Just relax."

The feeling dissipated and Hiltz lay on his stomach, trying to draw the cold of the concrete into his body and silence the pain. The Mern had found its place in him now, buried deep. Already, the new awareness filled him, dull hate of anything that was against it, dull hate that coloured his own temper. He panted, trying to still his thudding heart and the sick sense of dread.

And the strange sense of…

"Yeah, you're one of us now. Feels interesting, doesn't it. Keep in touch, that's our motto." Payne lost interest and gave Hiltz another booting as he left. "Take him to the Cells and let him sleep it off. We talk in the morning."

"Yes sir."

And into darkness Hiltz fell again, unable to claw his way out of it as strong hands lifted him up and forced him down a corridor. He barely registered the bed beneath him as he fell, but curled up under the harsh blanket thrown over him, tears sliding out from beneath tightly closed lids.

And in his dreams, his only comfort. Perhaps he was imagining the child that sat at his side, mopping his forehead with the kind of love that children should not have.

_Hiltz, I'm so sorry…_

~ to be continued.

_Okay, author's notes time._

_Loooooooooong chapter. The whole slug thing is not a rip off of Animorphs, in case anyone wants to know. I only read a few of the book because one of my friends was really into them. Besides, those slugs go into people's ears. Merns are ingested. In future you will see what they can really do…_

_I don't talk dirty very often. This is one such case, in this chapter, when the feral side of my nature that only rarely speaks in my mind opened up and poured it's poison onto the forefront of my mind. I am not in any way endorsing potty talk and the themes he suggested. However, it was kinda fun, and unfortunately came a little too easily. Yeah, I do keep it on a very short lead. It hardly ever comes out!_

_Plink has an overactive imagination…_


	4. 3 The reports of my death was greatly ex...

Chapter 3: The reports of my death was _greatly_ exaggerated 

The one thing Karl Licten Shubaltz had in mind when he entered the living area of the camp was relaxation and a nice read of the novel in hand. Of course, that could only happen if everyone else were being good little boys and girls and still out on patrol around the ruins.

So imagine his surprise, and growing dismay when he found most of the Guardian Force and a few extras lounging around on the couches, watching a few DVDs, and being…well…alive. _Noisy_.

_Oh hell._ He turned to leave, but cringed when he heard his brother's cry of his name and mentally died.

"Karl! Karl, come over here!"

"Hello Thomas." He said, hoping it sounded a little enthusiastic. "Why is everyone back so early?"

"Aw, come on Karl, you sound unhappy to see us." Irvine, the mercenary friend of Van's said. Irvine was a nice guy in his own right, but had never heard of discipline nor when to keep one's mouth shut.

Karl sat down heavily and sighed. "I _was_ hoping for some piece and quiet."

"Fat chance of that around here." Irvine responded and drank his coffee, then spat it out, glaring at Fiona afterwards. "What is it with you and salt in coffee?"

"I'm sorry Irvine!"

"Huh."

Karl let himself slide into a relaxed position and quietly observed the others around him. He often wished he were in Thomas' shoes, the boy had no idea how lucky he was having such rabble as friends, and being able to still play and have fun. Okay, maybe the Guardian Force couldn't be called _that_, but for the most part, being a part of the military was starting to take a terrible toll on the colonel. He couldn't remember the last time he had a good night's sleep, and was as guilty as hell over the deaths of his men in the last battle. But there was a quiet and cold part of soul that patiently informed him over and over that he knew this was going to happen. He'd had his chance to escape it, and had eagerly leapt right into the trap.

Distantly he heard someone screaming.

Maybe it was his imagination.

Once again, Moonbay began to brag about 'her' UltraSaurus and it's prowess in battle – the woman had no idea how much of the taxpayer's money had gone into that, did she? – and Irvine sniping back about how much of a 'crap pilot' she'd been in it. Van and Fiona kept butting in, and Thomas was being obnoxious…all they needed now was-

He never finished that thought.

Someone was screaming, and the alarms were going off.

As one person they got up and started to run, and Karl silently wished he'd taken his old minder's advice and choose a quieter line of work…

The noises and alarms were coming from Doctor D's lab, where the remains of the DeathSaurer's mammoth core had been cut apart and examined. It was, supposedly, the find of the century, but Karl knew that Guylos already _had_ that little factor covered. Too bad no one had ever bothered to look closer, but hey, that's human nature. 

The portable laboratory was in ruins. Technicians were everywhere – no one was dead, minor injuries, but it had been close. Very close. The bright light that had emerged from the depleted core had taken out most of the sensory equipment and was now trying to find a way out, as hard as it seemed.

"Organoid." Doctor D growled, leaning on Fiona. "I should have realised something was going on when we registered life signs."

"But what organoid was part of the DeathSaurer's core?" Irvine snapped.

"Not part of the DeathSaurer…the _DeathStinger_." Van whispered. "Ambient. Ambient and Hiltz were absorbed by the DeathStinger's core…and then it swallowed up Prozen and the remains of the DeathSaurer's core. Ambient…is still alive?"

"That's impossible." Fiona moaned, her face drained of colour. "An organoid was never created to take that kind of power nor stress."

Like a demented firefly, the red orb continued to find a way out before slamming into the plexiglass that protected the viewing area from whatever happened within. The glass creaked and held…but only _just_.

Karl's mind was already jumping ahead of everyone. Ambient wanted out, and he was going to do whatever it took to reach his goal.

"Everyone out."

"But if he escapes-"

"What is he going to do Van? Hiltz is dead, as is Prozen. He won't be that much of a threat. We're only antagonising the situation by being here. We _are_ the enemy, and the longer we stand here arguing, the more pissed off he gets. Move." He pulled out his gun, and silently pondered what part of an organoid was vulnerable. Would Van know? Probably hit him or something. Irvine would make noises about damaging the goods, and Fiona would give him The Look, something she'd developed recently if you annoyed her.

No matter.

After shoving the last technician through the doorway, he aimed at the glass and waited.

Ambient had stopped buzzing about aimlessly, as if he were waiting for something. Karl took this as a sign and carefully backed out of the door and into the corridor behind him and continued to back up until he was outside…Ambient hadn't followed, everything-

There was the sound of glass breaking, and he realised that the damned creature could have broken the glass at any time. He was just waiting…

_They're smarter than we realise. Ambient must be afraid of the gun. Perhaps in his energy form, bullets can hurt him…_

But the question remained, why hadn't he just burst through the ceiling like Zeke would have done? Zeke had managed to pierce some of the most powerful armour in his illustrious career as an organoid, as had the others in all reports, so why had he waited?

_Shit_-

The light came out of nowhere and Ambient was upon them. Buzzing mindlessly he circled the others, and Karl tried to track him with the gun-

_Can't hit him, what if I hit one of the others?_

Wait-

Ambient came back to him again. Separating them? Why? What did he have that Ambient wanted?

The organoid reformed and stood over him, radiating…well, not exactly menace. Ambient was a scary creature, that was for sure, but damn it, he wasn't acting threatening. Swaying slightly the organoid took a step closer, his green eyes glowing faintly.

Karl couldn't move.

For the first time in his military career, he was shocked, and couldn't fight back. With a clunk, the gun fell from his still fingers and his knees began to shake. Those eyes were fathomless. Optical sensors, sure, but _he was looking at him_. You couldn't shake that sense. Not at all…

"…Kaaaarl." He creaked.

_What the_ fuck?

Another hesitant step closer, and Ambient reared up, opening his chest unit. Engulfed in pure white light, Karl saw something move in front of his eyes and fell backwards, sprawling on his much sought-after arse, his hat rolling uselessly to the side…

Inside, tightly bound by wires was the body of Minister Gunther Prozen.

When Van had described merging with Zeke, Karl was pretty sure he never mentioned the wires actually _piercing_ the skin. Prozen was alive; he groaned softly and he opened his eyes briefly to register what was going on. Ambient let him go, and the white haired warlord tumbled forward into Karl's lap, completely, and here was where Karl blushed red to the roots of his hair, naked.

"Oh my God." Karl whispered, as he fell backwards.

There was a clunk as Ambient collapsed, and he felt Prozen sleepily slide his arms around his neck.

"Karl." He whispered again, his voice very small, and dare he say it, childish?

With great care, the colonel looked down at where the minister now slept, his brows knotted in some distant dream…

"…Gunther…?"

~ to be continued.

_Please forgive me if Karl was OC. I'm trying my best…_


	5. 4 I know something you don't know

This chapter is dedicated specifically to Naomi Hunter and also on a part to December. *Ahem* "Rowlr" 

Chapter 4: I know something you don't know

The red GenoBreaker hummed softly as it sped across the desert. Within it's cockpit sat the renegade soldier known to his friends as Raven and his foes as "OHMYGODDON'TKILLMEPLEASE!!!" He had, in fact destroyed more military facilities than he had had hot dinners, and that was saying something. The Zoid was on auto pilot, or more to the point organoid-pilot as his faithful black organoid Shadow was taking the controls. Balanced on his lap was a magazine of new weaponry (What did you think he was reading? A women's magazine? For shame) and eating a pot full of cup-o-noodles. It wasn't exactly the best meal he'd ever had, but it filled him up and kept the weight off. 

He was also, for lack of a better word, annoyed.

His travelling companion, Rhyss, had made off with his lifesavings without a word, proving that once again, women were not to be trusted. He was _very_ upset about that development – she'd been _nagging_ and _nagging_ for him to do this and that, eat this it's healthy, do this it will rebalance your chakra, blah, blah, blah. She was a nutcase. They were friends, and friends _only_ and even then it was a bit iffy. Raven wanted nothing to do with relationships. They were messy, horrible things.

So…where was he exactly…?

"Hey Shadow…I want an update on our location."

"Rowlr!"

"What?" Raven glared at the screen that showed the outside world. "Why are we here?'

"Rowlr!"

"Oh, so you're following Specular's…for lack of a better word…scent."

"Rowlr!"

"You have a lot of meanings for that word."

"Growlf."

"Yeah, that's better." Raven smiled. "So, you like her, huh?" He got no answer but the Genobreaker stopped. "Okay, okay, take it easy, Shadow. I was only playing."

"Hmmm." The organoid replied, and the dark haired pilot smirked evilly.

"So spikes turn you on, huh? That's new." Raven sighed, put the noodles in the cup holder (note to fans of Zi's Angels this one wasn't faulty and therefore the world will _not_ end) and consulted the maps. "Though I'm not so sure about the whole Rhyss being there thing. But then," he contradicted himself. "She is a Zoidian. Hmm…Would they hire her to keep an eye out?"

"Gruff." 

"That doesn't help. I'm _pretty_ sure she's not dating anybody. I'd hear about it first. Besides, I don't think she knows how it all works. I don't think _I_ know how it works."

"Narf!"

Raven blushed. "That was disgusting. Where did you learn that-_oh_. It stands to reason. Ambient. Of course. Do organoids do it?"

"Yargharrgh."

"Whoa, too much information." Raven grinned and took the controls back. The GenoBreaker lurched and changed angle slightly to their final destination, the capital of the ancient Zoidians. He hadn't really gone too far from it, but truth be told something inside him was warning him. 

It came slowly, as it always did, a memory of a life long ago when he was curled up by the larger…bulk could only be the word, he'd been a small kid…and poked him awake until the sleeper had turned over and glared at him.

_"Raven…it's…" A quick peek at the alarm clock. "…two in the morning. I have to be up at five to prepare papers for the meeting…" A lazy yawn. "What's the matter?"_

_"Hadda nightmare." More poking, a definite sign that he was not going to leave anytime soon._

_"Uh-huh?" The open crimson eye glared at him. "Let me guess, you want to sleep in my bed?"_

_"Monsters."_

_"I assure you, the only monster around here is me." A sigh and the quilt was raised so the child could snuggle up to his foster parent. "Ah! Stop it, you're cold…That's better. See? Here, have a pillow."_

Raven smiled, remembering how he'd taken most of the quilt and snuggled into it, leaving the man out in the cold, one arm slung back over the pillow and behind his head while the other was off the side of the bed. Prozen, his foster father had been an okay kind of guy, gave him more attention than his real parents, which was the sad thing. Oh, he may say he _hated_ Prozen, but the only reason he said that was because he could; Prozen was one of the few people who gave him value. He was always there when something went wrong – he'd never show affection in front of the troops, and Raven would be rude and obnoxious back. It was the only way to inspire fear.

But right now…

It hadn't just been his crushing defeat at the hands of his rival Van that had made him a dazed killer for four years. It had also been the loss of his parent, just as his own had died. Ordinarily, a person would have blamed Ambient for the wrong, the death, but common sense along with more information said otherwise. 

The organoid was just doing its job.

And would he have Shadow now?

The ruins came into view and for a moment, the Zoid stalled. Shadow murmured softly, and disengaged to land on its head. Raven knew that sound, the element of fear.

"What's wrong with that place?"

No answer.

"Hey, Shadow, I'm not kidding. What's the matter?"

"Hey!" Startled by the voice through the intercom, the screen was suddenly filled with a pale face and blond curls and the element of Thomas-ness, and Raven did his best to recapture his dignity. The young soldier glared at the maverick, and narrowed his pale green eyes. "Restricted area."

"I know, that's why I stopped." Raven lied. The last thing he needed was a Megolomax shoved up his pointy metal arse. 

"You did? Oh."

"Thomas…" Raven began; pleased he remembered the older man's name. "I'm looking for information."

"Huh, you're not the only one."

Ignoring that last comment, Raven went on. "I'm wondering if Rhyss has come anywhere near the site."

"Any reason why?" Thomas snapped back. He was always on the defensive…but then again, wasn't Raven too?

"Yeah, she stole my cash. I was wondering if I could get it back from her. This isn't a joke. That city makes me feel all wrong."

Thomas' face softened. "Me too. That's why I'm on patrol. We did have Rhyss here…she borrowed a CommandWolf and was helping to keep an eye on the scientists as they dug stuff up. Look, I'll escort you in if you'd like." The last part was hopeful.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry, stupid thing to ask." Thomas replied hurriedly and the DiBison began to turn around.

"No, I don't mind." Raven found himself replying. It had occurred to him that not only did Thomas have problems regarding family but probably his friends too. It he remembered correctly, wasn't Thomas in love with the blond Zoidian, Fiona?

Bloody _hell_.

"Um, thanks."

With a lurch the GenoBreaker fell into step beside the DiBison, and the pilots fell silent. It was odd really, being outside the whole relationship thing, he could only feel pity for Thomas. Raven could remember what love felt like…well, kind of…and he knew people craved it. Rhyss had hinted at 'loving' him, but Raven could never fathom her and her odd talk about the ultimate way of life, and how Hiltz was more important than he seemed. What she meant exactly apart from the whole destroying the world thing, he didn't know, but he had a feeling that one day he would find out. 

In fact, a theory was coming to mind now. "Find anything unusual?"

Thomas was quiet for a moment. He wasn't going to do the whole silent treatment was he? How immature… "…We found stuff. Interesting stuff."

"Care to elaborate?"

"S'Classified."

"I could always beat it out of you." Raven said with a sly smile.

"You wouldn't dare. Look, you've been given a pardon by Guylos and the Helic Republic, so don't push it."

Well, there was always the magic word. "Please?"

"What did you say?"

"Please. And I don't say it very often."

"…Well…" Thomas fidgeted. This movement was somehow attractive to Raven, and he didn't know why. "We found…we found Ambient." 

"To be expected." Raven replied, smoothly. "Seeing as he was a part of it all." Shadow made a funny noise and his heart lurched. _Shadow…_

"But…we also found Prozen."

Raven's head snapped up. "What?" _Impossible. Rhyss said he was as good as dead._

Good as dead. 

Didn't mean he was _actually_ dead… 

"Tell me, is he alive?"

"Well, last time I checked yes. He's being moved to a higher security place and Doctor D has taken over examination. I mean, it's not every day that you find someone who's merged with a Zoid Core and lived to tell the tale. He's uh, sleeping, last I heard. Came out stark naked onto my brother, didn't half give him a scare."

"So he's okay?"

"Yeah. The doctors checked him out and everything. They're still monitoring him and all, but he's just…sleeping. Look Raven, don't tell anyone, ok, he has a lot of enemies, and, and, we don't want anyone to kill him before the trial."

"Trial…?" Raven felt something sink inside him.

"We all know the outcome. He's going to be executed, but his body is being donated to science to see what went on."

"That's stupid." Raven heard himself say.

"Huh? I thought you would have liked that!"

The GenoBreaker stopped. "That's not what I meant. I…I want to see him. Where is he?"

The DiBison, which had kept walking, now turned around to face the other Zoid. "Raven?"

"Don't toy with me. I want to see him. Now." He knew he was sounding like a child, but he couldn't help it. The little warning bells in his mind were howling out of control. "Rhyss can't be found, can she?"

"What's the matter?" Panicked the other pilot.

"Look, listen to me Thomas. Rhyss went to overlook everything, right? Well, when I was working for Hiltz, I heard her say some weird things, especially when she thought she was alone. In her fever…when I took care of her…she said something about the power of the Rare Hertz. She was scared." Raven's mind was reeling. It couldn't possibly be… "I need to get to where Prozen is. He's in danger."

"You're telling _me_. Look, you're talking like a mad man-"

"She said the world was going to end, but she didn't seem the least bit worried. And I know for a _fact_ she was crying for joy when the DeathSaurer went down…"

"Who wasn't?"

"For reasons other than it's defeat. She said the end was now. When she left me, she said she was sorry I wouldn't join her in the afterlife. I asked her why, she had done just as much damage as I had, and _she_ said it had nothing to do with how good you've been. All I know…all I remember…is that right now someone I care about needs my help, and I want to be there for him just like he was for me when I needed it most."

The DiBison swayed, and Thomas' face was now a maelstrom of emotion. Confusion, anger, annoyance and wonder, all at once.

Raven's hands grasped at the controls, as he fought to find an answer for his outburst. He'd promised. Promised…

"Raven…? Is there something you're not telling me?"

The younger man licked his lips, and stared into the face of hopelessly innocent pilot in front of him. His cheeks were slightly pink, and Raven didn't know why.

"I made a promise a long time ago." Raven whispered. "When I saw something that scared me. Something Prozen did. I'm not too sure yet, but when I joined Rhyss and Hiltz in their quest for domination, I did it reluctantly because I knew I was going against something I believed in. And when I found out who was at the heart of the organization, I was upset to say the least, until I had contact with something else. Someone who I thought had died. The more I stayed quiet, the more I learned, and the more I saw my world fall apart. And when I at last _tried_ to fix it, I was too late."

Thomas cocked his head to the side. "You sound really upset." Another thought crossed his face; he always thought with his hands and body. It was strange to read him, Raven felt. Strange to see an innocence so different from Fiona's. While hers was an absence of thought, Thomas was an absence of hardship. He had, if he remembered correctly, been left to his own devices when growing up. Nurtured by someone.

Just as he had.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave." Raven murmured, for Shadow's aural sensors alone.

"I…I could hack into the Guylos mainframe and find out where he is. We can go to the hearing. I'm sure you'll be called to the witness box and all."

"Uh-huh?" Raven closed his eyes. 

"Yeah, we need _everyone_ to be present."

"And who's going to do the execution? Guylos or the Republic?"

Thomas shrugged. "I don't know, he did crimes that affected both nations."

More pieces clicked into place. People's faces, in particular that male friend of Rhyss' the one with those haunting eyes and spiky hair. "Third party?"

"Um, I suppose so. Why?"

Raven grasped the controls with surprising strength as new purpose filled him. "Because I want to see everyone's faces when they learn what's really going on."

The look on his face chilled the blond pilot. There are some things a person should not see, and the cold calculation of the face of the maverick would haunt the dreams of Thomas Richard Shubaltz for many nights afterward…

Not that this would be a bad thing, however…

~ to be continued.

_So what does Raven know? Not telling! Wait and see!_


	6. 5 Hush little baby don't you cry

Chapter 5: Hush little baby, don't you cry…

She found him seated and looking out over the ever changing desert and the harsh colours of the sunset, dressed in the grey robes of a prisoner, his eyes distant, his pose submissive.

"…Hiltz?"

She received no answer. Rhyss shivered. Like all Reapers she could sense his thoughts, but the fact that his mind was empty was chilling. Nothing came out of it. Just dull greyness that filled her with dread. Perhaps Payne had sapped all the fight left in him? How then would they secure their Hertz? The last thing stopping them from allowing the Zoidians to regain power?

"Hiltz…please…" She reached out to touch his arm; to their horror, they had discovered that touch was also a fundamental part of their new culture, just as it was with the natives. However, instead of sending a soothing surge of energy into his body, she shrank back when he twitched his arm away and all she got was a blast of stinging cold.

"Don't touch me." Came the whisper.

"…Payne said you fought it."

"To be expected."

"Hiltz!"

He turned and spat in her face. "Fuck off!"

Rhyss narrowed her icy turquoise eyes and wiped it off her face. Then she did the unexpected.

She hit him to the floor.

"Don't you _dare_ do that again, _rookie_. I was a Reaper before you were a twinkle in your father's eye! Snivelling _half-breed_! Did you really think that I joined your little circus to further _your_ power?"

"Yes, I should have realised that once a Reaper, always a Reaper. Now I'm infected by a stupid fucking slug and you stand in front of me bleating some shit about how I should feel privileged." Hiltz snarled back, still sprawled on the floor. He pulled himself up to sit. "You know, we always wondered how the hell your lot kept in contact over such long distances without using radio communications. You used Merns. One of the lowest life forms on Zi-_ugh_…" He doubled over and clutched his stomach in pain.

"Stop it." Rhyss snapped, sitting down heavily beside him. "You should have taken those drugs we gave you to still it's hunger."

"Hunger? The _fuck_?" He moaned from his position on the ground, grovelling in the dirt.

"Here." She placed the container in front of him, filled with a strange blue tinted liquid. "Filled with everything an infant Reaper needs."

"I'm _not_ a Reaper!"

"When the growing pains finish, you'll be just like us, Hiltz. And you still fight it. I don't understand." She said, watching him spasm on the floor, grasp the container and rip the lid off to bring it to his lips. He swallowed hastily, almost choking himself amidst tears of shame. "There? See? All better. And slowly but surely it'll become a part of your body and you'll be just like us."

"I…I don't want…" Hands scratched at the ground in an attempt to transfer some of the pain to somewhere else.

"Hush, darling." Rhyss got up and crouched beside him, then in a business like way brought his head to her chest and began to stroke his hair. "I served you and your beloved Gunther for Payne. Because that way we could keep tabs on you, and I could make sure the Kaiser program would work…"

"I…hate you…"

"You're not the first, Hiltz. We've charmed all sorts over to our cause and set them to hunt their fellows. Are you aware your sister Lain sought out a few Delnia settlements and succeeded in destroying them completely? She was wonderful. Of course, because she wasn't a Zoidian, at least, full blooded, she never reached her fifteenth birthday. It consumed her…we had to put a bullet in her brain when she was too weak to do the job and bleeding too much to cover up." She ignored Hiltz' futile struggles. "Of course, you're not going into puberty, so that's okay. You're full grown, or at least, you have been for the last two years, yes? Stop struggling. The only problem I can see is the fact that you're more Delnian than your sister, so you probably have…at the most…three years to enjoy having the power of a God over the cattle. But with any luck we can secure your Hertz and let you fuck his brains out before he's ready so he's useless. Of course, since he'll be the broken and sorry bastard we all think he is, he'll be useless to make new Zoid cores to help the cattle win the fight, or make any new Rare Hertz…but he'll still warm you bed. No mind of his own, but he'll be a nice reward after a hard day enforcing our rule, yes? We can run the arrogant humans into the ground and reinstate the new dominant species as the Zoidians. Now and forever."

"I won't do it. I won't hurt him."

"You won't be able to resist." Rhyss patted his head with motherly affection. "With all of us behind you, you won't be able to resist. If it makes you feel any better, you won't feel a thing. I doubt you'll be conscious if you keep fighting. Just like the supposed final battle."

"What the hell makes you think you can make new Zoid cores? Without Prozen ZoidEVE is useless. The only reason She activated was because of his presence."

"Fiona's."

Hiltz hissed. 

"Yes, I see you know now. Yes, little Lynette, our crowning glory."

"She's _Zoidian_."

"And as well as being one of us, she will carry our new source of power in her womb, the new and improved Dark Kaiser. ZoidADAM. He will save us."

"You're insane."

"Of course."

Rhyss sent more thoughts of sleep into Hiltz' mind and finally he slid into a light doze. But his tears of shame and fear still fell; she could feel them against her skin. And somewhere, in her mind, she wondered if she was doing the right thing.

~ to be continued.

_Just thought you needed a Hiltz update ^^_

_A/N  I'm glad the feedback is good so far, but you know what?  I'm curious as to the fact I haven't been flamed for shonen-ai/ Prozen useage…but then, nobody reads anything with him in it, ne?_

_My apologies to Maelgwyn for my lack of beta reading (and therefore spelling mistakes)- I HAVE NO PATIENCE! Hehe I'm terrible. *rolls across the page* Nyuuuuuuuu~~_

_Hmm…my action figure of Raziel (SoulReaver, complete with loss of jaw…my dad's (hopefully) tracking down the pre-fallen version of him *swoon*) is a sad, sad bastard. He's currently out of his cowl and riding his staff with an arm in the air. Man, he needs to get laid. ;) I really want Kain tho'. Kain is ver' sexy…rrrowl!! Wraith is lucky to have a dad like him ^^_


	7. 6 Guilty by association

Hello everyone. Just to recap, you now know that Hiltz and Gunther knew each other in the past, and that Fiona has something to do with Dark Kaiser, more specifically, she will be the mother of ZoidADAM. Hiltz has been captured by the Reapers, a fanatical Zoidian sect that was dedicated to the eradication of every other species on Zi, and he's fighting the symbiotic thing inside him that makes a Reaper a Reaper. Gunther has been found, and along with Ambient is in a secure location. Raven knows a lot more than it seems. I hope this isn't too confusing ^^;; This is sort of a hard to do chapter where Raven and Thomas break Prozen out…and take a few hostages along the way. I know people hate intrigue that seems to drag on, so I'm letting the plot explain itself so we can get down to what everyone's waiting for – the action. Namely guys getting horny and going at it like a pair of rabbits in spring @_@;; baaaaaad mental images.

Chapter 6: Guilty by association

It wasn't a real trial. The room was very quiet, at the head of the table sat Emperor Rudolph the third and the new leader of the Republic, Robert Hermann. Both looked harassed and ready to take out anyone who dared upset them anymore than necessary. And in front of them sat a number of delegates and officials. At the end of the table were two vacant chairs.

Karl strode into the room, his hands firmly planted against the back of one of the most powerful men in the Guylos aristocracy, not giving an inch of freedom. Handcuffed, Prozen was pushed towards one of the chairs, and Karl took the other.

"Have any problems Colonel Shubaltz?" Asked President Frank Hommelef, who was clearly enjoying himself with the whole charade.

"Actually no, we didn't. There were a few problems with the public at the hospital, but as you can see, he's here."

"Not paying attention though."

In fact, Prozen looked half asleep. He shook his head slowly, as if to clear his mind and looked up, regarding each face with a touch of curiosity. The innocence struck a chord in Karl's heart, and not for the first time he felt a grudging desire to keep him from harm. He'd always been so fragile.

"All right, meeting in session now that sleeping beauty here is awake."

"…S'time?" Prozen asked softly, his words slurred.

"Shut up, Gunther." Hommelef  continued without skipping a beat. "Let's review what happened, video evidence first or embezzlement of accounts?"

"Let's do the paperwork first." Said one of the other ministers. "Save the videos for after."

Karl felt a tug on his sleeve. "…Time?" Came the pleading murmur.

"Shut _up_."

"…Please…th' time?"

"It's 10 in the morning." Karl replied, kindly, patting his hand. He was really spaced out; it didn't make sense.

"Th'k you…" 

He could see former president Camford watching the strange display with a sad look on her face. This was probably not what she was expecting, not at all, and right now the man on trial looked like he'd seen hell…

"C'mon, minister, stay awake…" He whispered, gently poking his side.

"…Hurts…Karl…" He clutched at his head.

"Karl, for crying out loud, _shut him up_." Hommelef snarled. The blond colonel jumped involuntarily at the sound; Hommelef hardly ever raised his voice. But here he was excited, a bit of spittle running down his chin. Of course, this was probably a great treat, finally being able to bask in the glory of Minister Prozen's downfall. Karl remembered that the two of them, when they were younger had always been at war with each other. Well, actually, it was one-sided – Hommelef hated Prozen because of the fact he had surpassed him. Prozen however was oddly neutral.

Karl steadied the shivering warlord and held him until he was still.

He'd never recovered from the apparent betrayal of Guylos that happened four and a half years ago. The Prozen he knew was the Prozen who took care of him an afternoon or two a week while war talk raged over the children's heads. He'd always felt in awe of the spindly youth that seemed to live in the library and only ventured outside early morning and late afternoon. Had it not been at a parade of heroes after a very nasty battle with the Republic that he'd collapsed right in front of the Shubaltz children? A dead faint, and no one had cared. Karl _knew_ Hommelef had seen, but the bastard hadn't done anything about it. Yeah, sure, Hommelef looked after Rudolph, but the man wasn't the nicest person in the world.

"Calm down, ok?"

Eventually he fell silent, but only after he had drawn his knees to his chest and let his head rest against them. And people spoke and reviewed, the astonished cries of the assembled government big-wigs went over Karl's head as he watched the warlord become slacker and slacker in the chair, barely able to stay awake. And yet no one noticed – long ago people saw him as just a part of the scenery until he was promoted and opened up his quiet mind to prove what was really going on inside his pretty head. The lights went down and the video screen came into play viewing all the captured information of the battles and so on, especially anything to do with the DeathSaurer and it's hybrid offspring, the DeathStinger.

"Look out." He heard someone say – Camford. Prozen slid off his chain and onto the floor. She caught his head before it clunked against the side of the table and for a moment or so, _no one noticed_.

Karl cursed himself for not moving quicker and lightly pulled him into a seated position, leaning him against his shoulder. "Sorry."

"Obviously he hasn't recovered yet." She replied with a lined smile. She'd stepped down willingly, but she had always been a kind person, even if her pig of a son was not. Hermann was not the nicest of people either.

"No, I don't think he has. He woke up screaming for Hiltz, got out of his bed and tried to get outside."

"Ah, self preservation…" She said gently, shaking her head.

"No, the opposite. He was looking for me. I was coming in, and when he saw me, he wouldn't let go."

"Sounds like you have a new friend."

That absurd comment made him smile, something he hadn't done for a little while. Being a colonel in peacetime was boring, but this was making up for it.

"Have they noticed what's happened yet?"

"Probably not." Camford raised her head and watched the assembled party move and argue and tell tall tales of old. "No. I think Hommelef and my son will keep them entertained with their war stories. Not even Charlotte has realised I've left my seat. "Come on." She stood up and went to the door, calling out. "Just going to lavatory, chaps, be back soon."

Then Karl gently led the accused out and into the cooler air of the hallway. When politicians got talking, they didn't half blow out a lot of hot air…

"Drop him." Growled a voice from his left.

"What? Raven, that's my _brother_!"

"Yeah, and he also shot the gravity cannon. Let him go, you bastard." Most people, Karl felt, would have put an exclamation point after that last comment, but not Raven. The dark haired mercenary had a gun aimed at his head, and his younger brother - who knew how he got here anyway - was moving about behind him, flapping his hands in the usual manner, not knowing what to do.

Deary me.

"If I let go, he'll fall and probably get hurt." Karl said calmly.

Raven opened his mouth to speak but spun around and faced Camford. She paled. "Don't you try anything lady. You had balls to go up against myself and the rest of Guylos, but bravery won't help you here."

"I was simply-"

"You were simply nothing. Oh, and if you scream, I'll kill you."

"Raven?"

"Yes?"

"The safety's on." She said in the calm manner of a mother.

Raven cursed and fiddled with his gun, allowing Camford to pass him, give a curious look to the flustered Thomas and then helped Karl move Prozen again down the hall. In her hands was a soaked kitchen towel from the kitchenette a few metres away where the clerk watched the pantomime with great amusement.

"Karl, he's running a fever. Did Doctor D say he was really ready to be allowed out?"

"Yeah, he did, I suppose he was wrong."

"Hmm…very odd." Camford mopped the sleeper's forehead, and brushed a few strands away from his face. Prozen seemed to react to this, nudging her wrist with his nose like a cat.

"…Mother…" He muttered, his eyes opening slightly before closing again as he slid deeper into his curious sleep, his brows knotted in some strange dream.

That stopped everyone.

"_What_ did he just say?"

"He called you _mother_."

Raven finally lost his temper at the gun (which, I might add, he had liberated from the stores in the more military part of the base) and threw it at the clerk. "Get me a drink, asshole!"

"Raven!" Moaned Thomas. "You said you wouldn't kill anyone!"

"He's not _dead_, he's just bleeding." Raven soothed him.

Over the squabbling pair, Camford called out: "Just do it please, he's in a dangerous mood. Oh, and make mine a brandy." Karl stared at her in disbelief, and the older lady shrugged. "Times like these call for a stiff drink, and I've always felt that Guylos made better alcohol than Helic ever could."

"Coo! You're blaspheming." Thomas said and began to giggle under the stress. Karl rolled his eyes, his brother hadn't said the word coo for a very long time. It was something he'd picked up from their grandmother.

Karl gave up trying to make sense of the situation and dived right in. "I'd like a…1520 Chardonnay…oh, what was it called…"

"Red River." Raven spoke up. The others stared and realised he'd knocked the bartender out and was patiently doing the drinks. A few bottles of fresh water was sitting on the tiny bar (the government always got privileges like this) along with a glass of brandy, a can of Crispy's Cola (Don't ask, it's the Zi equivalent of Doctor Pepper .;;) and the bottle itself. "Named after the infamous attack where one stupid man got fried. What was his name? Marcus Lavont? Bloody nutter." Raven sighed and plonked it down with a thud. "Thomas? What would you like?"

"…Glass of water…" The stunned man replied. He still hadn't got his head around the whole thing. "Oh, and some peanuts. Pretzels preferably."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, we have a bag of pretzels here. I think the fatsoes in _there_ have all the peanuts and crisps, the stingy sods. Oh yes, I'm kidnapping you all, and you don't have a say in it. Karl, help Prozen up, Thomas, as my partner in crime…don't look at me like that, you hacked into government files for me and you helped me in here, you're just as guilty as I am…go and help the Helic President-"

"Ex-president." She piped up from the rim of her glass, downing it like a pro.

"Right, help ex-president Camford with securing some water bottles for the trip. We're going away."

"And what are _you_ going to do?" Thomas spat back.

"I…am going to drink this…" He held the can up and took a swig. "Enjoy it _thoroughly_…and break into _his_ personal stuff and nick a few things we're going to need." Raven finished the can, belched genteelly and then grinned. "Think you can handle your orders?"

Karl was gobsmacked. At any time, he knew, as he downed his glass, he could break away. But something else was going on inside him, that weird prickly feeling you always had of excitement when you played hide and seek with the other kids, and you knew you were going to be found, so you'd have to run.

It was wonderful.

"Yeah, let's go." He said.

"Good, because I don't want anyone playing silly buggers. I'll see you in the hanger." Raven darted away leaving Thomas in a fluster.

"Honestly, this wasn't supposed to happen, he said if I didn't do what he said he'd destroy my DiBison and my Beke and he'd kick my ass and-"

"Lieutenant Shubaltz, dear, please help me with the bottles…thank you…Karl? Can you move him?"

"Are we insane?"

"Most likely yes. Now come along, Charlotte has probably noticed I'm not back yet and will come looking. She'll see muggins over there and raise the alarm…" Camford drew herself up to her full height (only reaching Karl's shoulder) and adjusted her glasses, then used her shawl to gather up the rest of the bottles. "Come along, children."

"Yes m'am." Both said.

It was only when they were making their way across the manicured gardens that the alarms began to sound, and for no apparent reason Thomas burst into hysterical giggles. He calmed down as they reached the hanger, surprised to find that Raven was fixing up a jeep, and was not taking a Zoid.

That was Shadow's job.

"Shadow's playing decoy. Rosso and Viola will no doubt go after him with their blasted StormSworders." He dropped a fat box into the back and motioned for the others to get in, arranging himself and Prozen in the back along with the water so he could hide under the tarpaulin that some kind soul had thoughtfully left behind. "Shubaltz brothers taking the ex-president of Helic into a safer area by orders of her son Hermann. Karl, you called your brother for back up as Van and the others are busy doing…uh, heroic type things. Those are your cover stories. Stick with them."

Still slightly awed by the events of the day, Karl strapped himself in and looked over at Camford who was smiling in a strange way, her violet eyes a-glitter. With a sly grin she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Reminds me of when my late husband was courting me. You _will_ play the gentlemen, won't you Colonel Shubaltz?"

Thomas howled with laughter and Karl jammed his hat harder over his ears then gave the old woman a saucy grin and threw away his dignity. "Only if my brother gets to join in."

"Sh-_bang_!" Came the approving response from the tarp.

"Yeah, and the gremlin too?" Thomas asked, strapping himself in.

"The more the merrier." 

_This is insane._ Karl thought as he slowly released the handbrake and began to drive out as officers darted here and there in an attempt to find the fugitive, who was in fact, fast asleep in the back of a jeep. No one stopped them. No one gave them a second look. And as they reached the final gate to make their way out into the countryside, one of the guards gave them a funny look from the gate.

"President Hermann's orders."

"Then why aren't the Helic military covering it."

"Because Colonel Shubaltz is a trusted man, soldier, as is his brother. While my son is slightly paranoid about my safety, perhaps in _this_ case it is best that two of the best are keeping eye on me and driving me safely home."

"Um, safe driving then, Colonel Shubaltz. Lieutenant Shubaltz. President Hermann's mom, m'am." 

"Thank you. Drive on, colonel."

"Yes m'am." Karl, impressed by the calm manner the woman had handled the situation. Even if he was going to loose his job over the whole silly fiasco, he didn't feel that bad about it. This had been his original plan all along, to somehow get the minister out of this. Only now…it had become a lot more complicated, with a lot more people involved. However, he reflected, as the military base faded in the rear view mirror, perhaps it was for the best. Humming a distant tune, he put his foot on the accelerator and gained speed.

"Where to, Raven?" He asked. The kid had always been civil to him. Well, most of the time. 

Silence from his passengers. 

"Raven?" asked Thomas

"Thinking." 

"Anytime now. No pressure." Thomas continued. It was nice to have him along, thought Karl.

"I know a place." Camford said. "It's _perfect_."

~ to be continued

_I know Karl wouldn't have done this, but he has his reasons. So, Camford's in on it to? What will Rob think?!_ _How many pairings did you spot? XD_


	8. 7 Missing, presumed?

Chapter 7: Missing, presumed…?

"Van!"

The young pilot poked his head up, surprised to see Rhyss standing in the doorway. She looked flustered and upset. "Hey Rhyss…we were worried about you. Where have you been the last few days?"

"Um, around. Van, I just intercepted an emergency call from Dragon's Head base in which there's been a level three security alert…you're not going to believe this…Minister Prozen is gone."

Van dropped his spanner. "_What_?! How the heck did this happen and why weren't we told?"

"No one is quite sure. He abducted a Redler and managed to get away. The StormSworders were unable to catch him because of the weather conditions."

Van swore softly. The StormSworders were really great, but add turbulence into the equation and there was little chance they'd be able to do anything. Contrary to belief, they weren't invincible. A Redler was capable of getting through it, but the big delicate Sworders tended not to. Of _course_ Rosso and Viola hadn't succeeded. 

"Well, Rhyss, I'm pretty sure that he'll turn up with a few loyalists, and we'll go off and kick his sorry ass." Irvine yelled down from his Saix. "He can't hide forever."

"Yes…but…" She hesitated.

"Rhyss, are you ok?" Van put down his tools and strolled over to her. "You look paler than usual and tired. Are you sleeping enough?" 

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry. I suppose I haven't been sleeping very much…I've been very worried about him."

"Look, Prozen's not the one for revenge, he won't go after you and Raven. Um, have you seen Raven?" Van continued, going back to the BladeLiger's foot.

"A few days ago. Why?"

"Um, no reason." Van said, hurriedly.

"We have to find him, Van." Rhyss snapped back.

"We will, in time." He gave her a funny look. "Why so eager?"

"Eager? Me, no!" She stopped wringing her hands. "I'm just nervous, that's all. He's a dangerous man, Van."

"Yes…he's a dangerous man…" Van intoned, pausing for a moment to stare into space. Then his thought processes caught back up with him and he smiled. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Hey Van, throw me up a few more of those cables, will you?"  
"Sure Irvine."

Rhyss watched a moment longer to see if her mental command had sunk in properly before leaving the hanger to search for Fiona, just to check up on her. She was sitting at one of the consoles patiently filing report after report with Zeke at her side like a guard dog. Standing at the door, Rhyss motioned to Zeke who came over, snuffling, as if, for food.

Rhyss smiled and looked into his magenta optical sensors. "You're going to protect Lynette, aren't you…you're going to do it because that's your job…don't forget that…" She stroked his head casing. "Because we can't trust the humans, can we? Oh no…Be a big brave organoid…because nasty old Requiem is coming back, and when she does all hell is going to break loose…"

"Hello Rhyss!" Chirped a familiar voice. She _would_ destroy the world, and she had no idea about it. All those dreams and things…it was really quite delightful. Rhyss had been preparing her for most of her adult life for the task ahead.

"Hi Fiona. How are you feeling?"

"Great! So much information, it's hard to keep track of it all!"

"Do you want me to make some coffee for you, Fiona?" Rhyss smiled faintly.

"Yes please, that would be _wonderful_! Gosh, Van and the others are so mad at silly Thomas! Do you know he disappeared? He went out on patrol and never came back! _Van_ says it's something to do with his…" Her dark eyes sparkled malevolently. "…Inability to cope with real life situations!"

"Oh my." Rhyss replied, not disturbed by the comment but rather Fiona's look. She was even more surprised when Fiona reached out and pulled Rhyss close so that they were nose to nose.

"Thomas is on the other side, _Rhyss_." She snarled suddenly. "I _thought_ you said you were going to do the right thing and _stop_ this once and for _all_. I _don't_ want Van hurt, he will serve Fiona well after all this is done, but the others she cares _nothing_ about and neither do _I_! Just make their deaths believable. Your stupid sex toy Raven is with him and I sense _something_ going on between them…I think the moronic humans are forming the web our little Hertz needs to function properly…and that's not good. I know all about the little _escape_, and as far as I'm concerned, if you _haven't_ captured Prozen before he makes the switch once and for all, our plan is _finished_, because there is a strong male who he might become…attached to…if the time comes. It doesn't matter what sex it is…as long as he can fuck it, he'll be a fucking adult. You can't break adult Rare Hertz, Rhyss. But a _child_ is defenceless. Remember that. We _wants_ him, Rhyss." And as quick as it had come, Kaiser slid back into the darkness of Fiona's mind. Until it had a body, it was stagnating inside the perfect host.

Rhyss sighed. The Kaiser was a part of her, too. It was part of all the Reapers, their answer to ZoidEVE, and from the time of the destruction of the DeathSaurer - the ultimate version, of course – it had managed to transfer itself back to it's mother, Lynette. It had every right to be pissed off.

"Is everything ok, Rhyss?" Asked Fiona. Rhyss fought the urge to kiss those innocent lips.

"Yes. Everything is fine."

~ to be continued.

_*sings* shojo-ai for Naomi Hunter ^__^ _I couldn't resist, chaps._


	9. 8 More revelations?

_Umm, I don't know if we ever learnt what President Camford's first name was, so I'm calling her Evelyn. I think from now on, that's what I'll call her. Yeah. ^^_

Chapter 8: Another revelation?

It was warm in the kitchen and as far as Raven was concerned, he was happy for the moment, drinking down a cup of hot chocolate. _Nobody_ could make hot chocolate like Mrs Camford. She wanted the boys to call her Evelyn, but they had flatly refused, coining the term Mrs. C. She was upstairs getting one of the spare bedrooms ready for Prozen, who was curled up on the couch. Shadow was snoozing in front of the fire, head tucked under his shiny tail.

Raven was still reeling from the revelations. It was all laid out in front of him, he just had to get his head around it…if everything it said was true, then hell, they were up to their knees in shit without a way out. He looked down at the journal, wishing he could read it. The earliest ones at first looked like rows and rows of odd letters, but when you concentrated, you realised it was a language in itself. Notes were all through it, by a fellow called Angus Mirrirma. If Raven remembered correctly, Mirrima was a phycologist.

He shut the book and went into the living area and looked down on the sleeping man. "They thought you were crazy so they took you to a shrink. How thoughtful."

There was a yell at the back. 

Raven had taken the water along thinking they would go out into the desert. From the news reports on the radio, the vidscreens and so on, that was where the military was heading, so maybe the whole idea had worked out for the best. And _now_ he could hear the cursing of Karl and Thomas as they wheeled Ambient into the garage. The jeep was parked in the carport a few metres away, so everyone could see that things were fine. Karl and Thomas had both called in and said they were staying to keep the ex-president safe…

"The room is ready, if you want to wake him up." He heard Evelyn call. She smiled at him. "Is anything wrong?"

"Nah, I just found all the secrets in the universe. What are those two doing out there?"

"I'm not sure, but I think they're enjoying it. I'm not going to stop them."

"Hmm. I'm surprised you're going along with all of this."

"Times change. People change. For better or for worse. What I saw today proves that there is no hope for them now…in power I mean. And…if this young fellow here can meld with a Zoid Core and come out of it alive, then I'm willing to guess there's more going on here than I thought possible. Besides, you're such a sweet boy, Raven."

Raven stared at her, slightly worried.

Evelyn gently pulled Prozen up and helped him towards the room upstairs with the surprising strength that old ladies seem to have. Raven followed, just in case. Of what he wasn't sure, but right now…

"It's been a very long time since I had people in this house. It was often just my assistant Charlotte and I on retreat, but I raised Robbie in this house…"

"It must really suck not being able to talk to your son like a mother."

Evelyn gave him a motherly look. "It _is_ awful, Raven. Open the door, please, love? Thank you." She helped Prozen inside and sat him down on the soft mattress. He slumped into it and snuggled down beneath the quilt as she laid it over him. "Could you fetch me a thermometer? It's in the box there…that's it…"

"You're not going to stick it up his ass are you?" Raven muttered.

"Raven!" She giggled. "No, it's a mouth one…give it a moment…oh dear…"

"What's the matter with him?"

"He _is_ running a fever. I thought so." She brushed his hair out of his face and sighed. "He must have caught something while in hospital, poor pet. Come on…he'll be safe here. The quilt is light enough to keep him warm, but at the same time cool enough not to overheat him." She opened a window and a soft breeze played with the curtains carrying in the sounds of the sea. Then, with the gentleness of a mother, she lightly guided Raven to the door so Prozen could rest. "We have to let him sleep."

"I know, it's just…"

"There will be time for reminiscing later."

Raven didn't argue with that tone. Even for a guy who hadn't seen much of his mother and was raised by a rather strange man, he couldn't resist that voice.

When they went back into the kitchen again, Karl was nursing a nasty cut (He hadn't been looking where he was going and consequently snagged his sleeve on one of Ambient's tail spikes.) and Thomas was poking around for something to eat. Both snapped to attention as Evelyn entered.

"At ease gentlemen. Our boy has a fever, so he won't be joining us."

"I didn't think he was ready _anyway_." Thomas muttered.

Raven's hands touched the box and he thought hard. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Shall I begin?"

"Go ahead."

~*~

"It was when I first moved in to Prozen's quarters that I noticed things. You always do when you're a kid. He lived at the palace, like most of the other guys did, but what I noticed was that while everyone went home on the weekends, Prozen didn't. See, he had no family. I'm not talking about being an orphan or anything, he wasn't listed in _any_ of the birth records no matter how far I looked back. There was one, however, but it seemed fake. I later learned it _was_ a fake. Lady Falanaer had died giving birth; and the kid died soon after. Her husband had died a few months before the tragedy took place. Thing is though, it was a boy, and the boy's name was to be Gunther. Named after his daddy. The emperor had always been close to this family, and it hurt him so to see them all pass on like that. But the problem was the title claims held in the Falanaer name - The nobles fight like cats and dogs over that sort of thing.

But then along comes this excited guy who says he's found something in the ruins. They've pulled this kid out of a pod wearing bloodstained linen, and he was unconscious. It was an amazing find; everyone said it was a Zoidian. So the old fart goes down to investigate.

The kid is sleeping in a tent, dead to the world. The only thing they know about him is the word 'Prozen', because of a tag on his wrist, along with a number. That same number is tattooed on the kid's left shoulder blade. 3927. The emperor goes into investigate, then asks about anything else they've found. Only a lot of old bones, long picked clean, is the answer. The kid's parents sacrificed to save him? Maybe. Maybe not. Most of them are crushed. Traumatised. The more they look, the more worried they become. There was a fight. A nasty one, and the more they look they realise there were more than three species of people in the room at that time. 

Anyway, back to the kid. The old guy goes to investigate, and as he reaches out to touch the boy, the boy opens his eyes and tells him his son will die when he turns thirty thanks to an STD. After he's killed his wife. Their son will live. Then the boy collapses. Old guy is freaked. His son? The next emperor? Killing his wife then catching a yucky sexual disease? But then again, twelve years later, it happens. And Rudolph the third, our current emperor is left behind.

The emperor adopts the kid, calling him Gunther – here is the answer to his problems. He makes up this story about how the kid is some missing cousin or something of the late Lord and Lady Falanaer. 

And Gunther Prozen officially comes into existence. 

This kid is a prodigy. He speaks another language. He can read people's emotions and react to help them if they need it. He is infinitely curious of everything. Occasionally, he'll tap into someone and be able to tell them a bit of what might occur in the future so they can stop it before it happens. But there are downsides…he gets sick easily. The doctors don't know why he's an albino, usually there's some form of pigment left in the DNA to show that there was supposed to be something there. No. See, this little boy has not four base strands, but twelve. Tightly packed around and around to form…not a ladder…but a rope. This kid is unheard of.

And so there you have it folks, the first record of human history of a Rare Hertz.

It blew the minds away of the archaeologists. They _thought_ that maybe he was the by-product of Zoidian research or something, but the more they look into it, the more they realise that this little life has happened thanks to thousands of years of evolution. The Zoidians were _not_ the only ones on Zi. But this upset people. They didn't want to know. But what could they do with a kid who was suddenly showing extreme feats of the impossible? Reading people's bodies like an open book. 'Seeing' the future. Melding with Zoids-"

"I knew I hadn't been imagining that." Karl whispered.

"Yeah, you see? So they figured out all the human parts of the strand, and then went about neutralising the others. Do you have any idea how many drugs he had in his cabinet by the time he was too far gone to stop the chaos? He was popping pills like sweets. He was an addict who had been told to take the drugs because it was the only way to keep him in check. Started him off early, and of course, he didn't ask questions - if the doctor says your sick and you need to take such-and-such, you're not going to ask why, are you? No. So he slipped deeper and deeper into this drugged sleepiness, which explains how he was so mellow. But by doing this to him, well…they caused a bigger problem.

There was something else inside him that now had a way out. I'd see it some times, and it always freaked the living daylights out of me."

"What was it?"

Raven had stopped pacing and was now looking out of the window at the dark sky and the pounding surf. His voice was low, afraid, something rare for him. "Something we now know as the Dark Kaiser. 

I remember walking in on the Kaiser once – Prozen was fighting with it in the mirror. There were two voices, this wasn't someone with a split personality. Even his reflection in the mirror had changed…it was the person I saw melding with the DeathSaurer. A darker version of him. And…and he was so afraid. I listened, and what I heard…The Kaiser was some sort of weapon, a time bomb ticking away inside Prozen until the time was right to activate. It was built to annihilate all life…except the Zoidians. It went into overdrive when it was trying to meld with the DeathSaurer, the ultimate machine to do the task it had been set by it's programmers, but I don't think it was expecting the DeathSaurer _itself_ to fight back. We know Zoids are partially sentient, and that was one pissed off Zoid. And then when Hiltz…I think…Hiltz could have been infected too. Or at least, he was trying to save Prozen and then got infected. Why, I don't know. He merged too, but the Kaiser program just found a new mind and body to fuck with."

"But Hiltz was a Zoidian. That doesn't make sense." Thomas replied, idly rocking on his chair at the table. He was giving Raven his full attention, for reasons known only to the gods – when Raven was relaxed, he was quite a speaker.

"I know." Raven sighed. "I've been thinking about it for ages. I think Rhyss was in on it too…Anyway, When Thomas told me that Ambient down there-" He pointed in the direction of the garage "-Dropped Prozen onto Karl's lap, it led me to believe that maybe the Kaiser program wasn't strong enough to eliminate Prozen completely, or at least, the DeathSaurer itself. He was adamant on raising it, but didn't know why."

"He wanted to kill everybody maybe?" Thomas responded.

"No. Sometimes, when I had time to talk with him about it, he seemed really happy and excited. He talked about it like an old friend or something. The original GenoSaur was its offspring. He…he had a hand in that, but _what_ I don't know. Anyway, I think the DeathSaurer somehow purified him of the Kaiser program, and Ambient, being a part of the core just like Shadow can do, collected the body and absorbed it to release later. This whole process…by rights, an organoid would not have been able to withstand that much of a beating. But I knew from the beginning Ambient wasn't an ordinary organoid. I heard Hiltz call him a MK III, whatever _that_ is. Anyway, he stayed stationary and safe within the core until your scientists woke him up, and he had to get out. He was too weak to attack the place head on, so he buzzed around and bluffed his power until he could get out. Through the glass, and to the only person Prozen knew could help him…you, Karl. Then of course, his job done…he died." Raven fell silent.

"You care about him, huh?" Thomas asked softly.

Raven smiled a little, unaware of the somewhat dopey look on his face. Spending time with the crazy tech-head was nice; even if he couldn't understand what the man was saying half the time. Thomas was such a nice guy. He tried to be mean to him, but he just wasn't good at it, you _couldn't_ be mean to Thomas…it was like hating rainbows or something. No, bad comparison, Raven. Hurting Thomas would be a crime, he was so gentle and innocent and filled with good will. He wasn't annoying at all. "You know Ambient killed my parents. And I was pretty pissed off with him too. But at the same time, I met Prozen. I was the one who chose my life, I wanted to be tough so I wouldn't rely on anyone, and I could protect the people I cared about…even if my heart was hard. I don't hate Ambient. He saw a threat. He reacted." Raven looked away. "He didn't kill me, either."

"That's a very mature thing to say." Evelyn's voice still had that gentle motherly tone. It had a soothing effect on all of them, a somehow wonderful yet terrible reaction, especially to Raven. The way Evelyn looked at him…with no judgement, no disapproval, was delightful, and he wanted to make her proud.

Why?

"Thanks Mrs. C"

"Well, an interesting story that explains a lot of things about him that were left up in the air." Karl said, finally breaking his silence. "When Thomas and I were just kids, back when the war was in full swing, we'd often be in the palace while people talked. I remember seeing Prozen do things that I knew were impossible…I don't know…and when he took care of us during that little spat of fighting on our own turf, he seemed to know exactly what was going on and was telling me all the names of the tactics and so on…I told him I wanted to be in the military and he told me that was probably not the best idea…I still did it though." Karl rubbed his eyes and sighed. "It almost killed me when he turned on us. And now I find out he was a prisoner in his own mind. Bloody fantastic."

"Yeah." Thomas scratched his nose. "I always wondered where the Prozen I knew had disappeared to. Uh, he always helped me out with my ideas and stuff. He wasn't very good with computers and machines apart from Zoids, but he'd always listen to me. I was so angry…" He shook his head. "So we take care of him now?"

"Yeah, until we figure something else out. No one will believe this story without the hard evidence, which we have all seen…apart from Mrs C. here."

"At the moment there is a sick man upstairs in one of the guest bedrooms. I don't care who he is, he's sick, I'm taking care of him. End of story. Now you three look like you're about to collapse. When did you last have sleep, Lieutenant? Keeping him up, Raven?"

Raven laughed. "We did bust our asses to get down here."

"Then I think, if you don't mind me saying, it's time for bed. I prepared the other rooms expecting company anyway, but with all this going on I doubt if anyone will be dropping by. No, colonel, you are _not_ going to lock up, you are going to have a light meal, a hot shower, and then it's to bed with you. No arguments, thank you. It's been a very long day today, and it will probably prove even longer when the officials drop by tomorrow to check up on me. All right?"

Mouths opened, then closed as tired minds came to a sudden conclusion. 

A few minutes and empty dishes later (Cheese on toast with a side order of egg for a _very_ hungry Raven) the three were gently prodded upstairs, and when Evelyn checked in on them around half an hour later, (just out of habit) they were sound asleep. 

~ to be continued.

_Bah, this one sucked. I rewrote it a few times. Please try and stay with me on this one ;;_


	10. 9 Reaper by name, Reaper by nature

_Okay, before we go any further here, this is another chapter which has the infamous Payne Janae in it. Now be warned, there is (Oh Lordy) a heterosexual scene in here. Yeah, a guy and a girl getting it on. This is odd, because it was primarily a slash fic. Now if you're expecting perfect sex, lots of oohs and ahhs and a full on description of everything going on, guess what? Not going to happen. I am _not _writing this to entertain myself and, in essence, make you enjoy it. I read a great piece of advice once that said don't put sex into fics unless you have to, and don't tell everything. You guys don't really want to know _everything _do you? This may sound odd, but the characters…well, even though I don't like some of the Zoids characters, I respect them in a sense…I don't want to hurt them. It would seem wrong because they're not mine. But at the same time, I needed to give Rhyss a reason to help Hiltz, and explain her anger and possession over someone else…like Fiona. I've never written a girl/girl thing before, I don't exactly enjoy it…even if a few of my friends probably would! So once again *smiles shyly* be gentle with me and understand that I have an overactive imagination and reading half of these fics on ff.net…well…we all know where THAT leads…_

_*Sings Ben Lee's new track 'Dirty mind'* A dream is a weapon…and I dream about you every day…Come for the danger, stay for the stranger, but I'm never gonna give it away…You'll never clean my dirty mind…You'll never clean my dirty mind… ;p_

Chapter 9: Reaper by name, Reaper by nature

He arose from the rumpled sheets, untangling himself from the limbs of the female he'd bedded with that evening. She slept placidly, in a peace that Payne had not felt for a very long time. 

He was upset over losing Prozen so easily to those renegade humans. It was easy to forget that they were such impressionable creatures with little will power. A Hertz could tap into their wells of pity and draw forth _unbelievable_ loyalty. Or at least, that's what the majority of his sect thought. Payne had studied the species long and hard, every available piece of information he had eagerly devoured to further his knowledge. Was it not said: Know your enemy?

Prozen had the _appearance_ of a twenty something male, and chronologically he _was_ 38 years of age, but in reality, he was still an infant in the terms of power. And the natural response of many a creature in the system was to _protect_ something young. Helpless. Kaiser managed to pull up enough shields to stop people doing that…okay, not so much the emperor, damn him to hell, and Prozen was gently twisted and placed in the position Payne had scribed for him centuries ago.

"Payne…" Came the soft voice from the bed. 

He bared his teeth, angered at his thoughts being derailed, but the anger was short-lived as a hand caressed his lower back and moved around to front. 

"Not now, Ina." He growled. 

"Are you still worried about that little Hertz?"

"Of course I am." He faced her, sullen, angry.

Ina slid back onto the bed again and smiled at him invitingly. "Then we shall talk, yes?"

"No. I have some things to do. Wait here."

Ina sighed and curled up on the pillows, her amber gaze piercing into his back as he left with a look of disgust. She was but one of many, you must know, and yes, she knew it too.

Payne pulled on some clothing and padded down the corridor, the door hissing shut behind him, eager to make his way down to the temporary barracks to roll another pretty face. The low flames that lit the hall and thick carpet were comforting to his throbbing head. 

The base in itself was the country manor belonging to their prey for most of his life in Guylos, an estate passed onto him by his guardian, the dead emperor of Guylos. They had moved from the previous base snuggled deep in one of the supposed 'ruins' in the Guylos territory, and still functioned even if they had been sleeping for many centuries in wait of their prey. And beneath the base itself was an immense warehouse, filled with the survivors, all peacefully dreaming, waiting for the day when they would be free to walk again. That day, Payne felt, would be soon. They'd worked so damn hard do kill every last one of those blasted Hertz creatures. They were the _worst_. So calm and placid, so damn _nice_. They'd still tried negotiating when their numbers were almost completely decimated.

In fact, it had been Payne himself who had wiped out Prozen's particular bloodline. As soon as he heard of the lengths they were going to for their survival, the warning bells in his mind went off. Payne wasn't paranoid – he _knew_ everyone was out to get him. It was the bastard's mother who had been particularly fun to kill, even if she hadn't screamed when he began. Just sat there calmly while he did the job. She'd approached the Reaper base in a Zoid called a Berserk Fury, one of the new models that the Zoidian scientists hadn't been able to replicate yet, a very sexy female with a waterfall of hair to her waist. She had no marks, she wasn't a powerhouse like her husband; but like the rest of the underground dwelling race she had white hair and crimson eyes. Why evolve pigment when you never go outside anyway? Besides the point, Faen Drachnia had come asking for peace. Her people would bury themselves deeper into the earth, and the rest of the people…Delnia, Aethers, Forchan, Nirin, countless subspecies he didn't give a damn about…would retreat too. The Zoidians would never know they were there. This was, apparently, their last chance, and if they didn't reach an agreement, then the Zoidians would be besieged by a new and powerful force. The odd and interesting thing was that for a woman who had just given birth to a son, she seemed remarkably energetic and thin. Payne knew that wasn't normal…

But he'd brought her in, only a soldier at this time, those higher up were busy planning the Hunts to find and capture the ever-elusive Rare Hertz to help build new cores. He'd sat her down. Fished for information, even if he didn't find out all that much apart from the fact that she now had a son. Then he'd tied her to the chair and counted how many times you could cut a Hertz before it finally bled to death. And then, as a final insult to her stupid race, he'd cut her head off and sent it back in the Zoid. The Zoid in itself had been shocked into submission, after it had taken out half the Zoids on the base.

They'd secured ZoidEVE. What more could they possibly fear?

And then…then…he shook with rage at the memory…five years later that little _fucker_ managed to get in. Silver Drachnia. A fucking _Rare Hertz_ who had disobeyed his _entire_ species to get back at the killers of his wife. He'd actually _merged_ with EVE. This was, as everyone knew, the ultimate fate of Alisi Lynette, a Zoidian born to be their savior. It was gruesome as to what happened next, but the DeathSaurer appeared, and stomped out over the world killing every Zoidian it could find. People tried to tame it, people tried to run from it. But it all remained the same; the ultimate weapon on Zi did its grisly job. Payne had watched as the most powerful Reapers waited for the Rare Hertz to reappear, and then brought before the council.

Silver was one of the most powerful Rare Hertz to be born. It seemed that the more the Zoidians killed them off, the intent on survival his people became, and to their horror he was probably one of the last – he was definitely one of the most powerful and protected-

_But shouldn't his wife have been the one most protected with such a young son?_

And the worst insult of all? Silver had taken out his girlfriend of that time, reduced her to a bloody stain on the grating. This wasn't _just_ a species thing, this was _personal_.

The memory of the Rare Hertz bought before the council, his short wavy hair now matted with blood, snarling like an animal still made him angry. It had taken three of the best to tether him to his place as they passed judgement and submitted his body to genetic testing and dissection. He'd clung on to life for a few days but had finally given up the ghost whispering about something called Requiem, and his son, Winter.

They'd caught the boy. It took a few months and many, many lives…but finally they had secured him and shipped him to the holding facility to try and see what made a Rare Hertz tick. Of course, he met Hiltz there. 

Payne punched the wall in frustration. 

Hiltz. The other fucking piece to the fucking puzzle. He turned a right, ignoring the barracks. He was fighting hard, that one. If he didn't submit soon, the Mern would die in him and be digested, all to the natural order of things. Infect him again? Risk killing him? 

How the _hell_ could he get Hiltz to submit?

After tramping past vast rooms and down corridors, he finally reached the makeshift Cell, one of the smaller rooms that was still to big for his liking, the windows nailed shut, and a barred door where the thick wooden one had been before. And the stupid bastard was sleeping on the floor.

"You fucking moron." Payne hissed through the bars and then punched the door.

He wouldn't submit because of Prozen. He _had_ to submit because of Prozen. What the hell could he do? Beat Hiltz into submission? No, damage the goods, and the buyer will be suspicious… No, Hiltz drew his strength and will to fight from his desire to _serve_. And you put them together at the right time and without…supervision…you got an adult Rare Hertz. A fully-fledged adult. A fully-fledged, _pissed off_ adult who _knew_ what the fuck was going on, and was quite happy to tear a place _apart_. He'd be young, but terribly powerful, seeing as he was the only one left. And if it wasn't Hiltz…it'd be that blond imperial. That…Shubaltz. 

He'd do it because there'd be no one else. He'd do it to protect the little bastard.

Either way, they were seriously _fucked_.

Unless the Hertz was deflowered before his time…broken on the spear of an overzealous lover…or a Reaper.

Payne snarled down at Hiltz again, and then left to return to the barracks, wondering if Rhyss had returned. She'd had to check on Kaiser and see how it was, along with Lynette herself. Hopefully things would turn out okay for them…

Ah…

There was a living room close by and yes, here was Rhyss, looking flustered and nursing a cup of coffee brewed from one of the kitchens staring out of the plated glass windows, to the darkness shrouded gardens beyond.

"Hello Rhyss."

"Payne!" She almost dropped the cup. "I didn't sense you!"

"I know, I've been masking myself from the others. How are you?"

"I've been better."

"Your friend is sleeping well, even if he has a strange taste in beds."

"And lovers?" She tried to joke.

"Indeed." Payne's smile was dark. Something else was on his mind now, and it certainly didn't include anything other than the frail female in front of him and a little idea. "Rhyss?"

"Yes?"

His smile tugged wider and he put his hands on his hips. "Would you object if I used you as stress relief?"

"_What_?"

Payne slid down next to her, took the cup from her fingers and pressed her against the cushions. "Glad to see you got out of that response suit. I know the Zoids prefer people to wear those damn things, but you always turn me on when you swing your ass in my direction." He slid a hand up her shirt and fondled a breast, pleased to find she wasn't wearing a bra. Bras were something of a human invention, Zoidians had never bothered.

Not that it mattered of course, with Rhyss.

"Payne!" She gasped, her cheeks going red.

"Look, don't argue. You used to like me before all this started. You were my little slut. My whore. You'd go down on me in my Zoid while I was addressing the people in charge. Why do you think _this_ is wrong?"

"But I…! You…! You were with Ina!"

"Fuck Ina. In fact, why don't I take you up to my quarters and the three of us can do it to until the sun comes up. I'm the boss around here, darling, and you _know_ it."

She sighed and pouted. Gods she was sexy. That human Raven she had told him about must have been gay if he didn't look her up and down and get into her pants. But for old time's sake, he wanted her willing. Rape wasn't an option because Rhyss was a powerful Reaper in her own right…so…instead…

Her eyes fluttered close as he dove deep into her mind and found the threads of thought that lead to desire, happy to find her lips pressed against his and her legs around his waist.

"That's better." He growled.

"Take me now, you bastard." She gasped. "You always go to far…I feel like I'm gonna…_ohh_…!" Her eyes shut tightly and he felt her hips buck against his, the crotch of her pants dampening with her need for him. Payne laughed, kicking the table away and spilling the coffee onto the floor, then took her other breast in his mouth and started to suckle, hard. His free hand slid up her thigh to push the waistband of her trousers, fumble with it, and pull it down along with her underwear. He hungrily caught her mouth again and undid his robe.

"Get ready, my dirty little girl." He growled. "Daddy wants a little joy in his life…"

Rhyss struggled but gave up and stiffened as he entered her, her eyes squeezed shut with the sudden pain and intrusion. Sliding his hands down her body, he grasped her hips and started to thrust, delighting in the feel of something so tight and good around his beloved member. Mindless really. Everything shut down in his head while he dove deeper and deeper into her velvet abyss, grunting and sweating on top of her like an animal.

Because it wasn't Rhyss who was beneath him. In his mind's eye it flickered from Hiltz to Prozen, driving him insane with anger. At last he screamed, and Rhyss' cry was not hers but someone else's. He didn't care that he'd come first, that didn't matter. What mattered was that now, as he looked up and over his shoulder for the source of the cry and into the shocked face of Ina, he now had his plan. He had his perfect solution to the problem at hand. Ina's brilliant eyes were filled with tears – knowing was one thing, catching him in the act was another – and ran away, her dark green hair flowing around her face, enough for Payne to lick his lips with the hunger again. His sexual prowess was legendary among the Reapers, and like the leader he was, he had all the girls to himself. He turned back to the crumpled Rhyss beneath him.

"Enjoy that, slut?"

"Fuck you." Rhyss said, tiredly. It wasn't the response he was looking for and his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I remember why you and I didn't pair off. Your lack of enthusiasm. Well fine. Be that way." He stood up, tugged his robe around him again and went to leave. He then turned around and fixed his subordinate with a harsh glare. "Clean yourself up and clean up that fucking mess down there." He pointed at the now cold coffee. 

Then, with a smile, all to himself, he settled into the warm glow of the Mern within him and went to chase down Ina for some more stress relief. 

He'd see to Hiltz tomorrow. Then he'd think harder about his little plan.

~ to be continued. 

I say again. I took no pleasure in writing the sex scene. I'm actually kinda embarrassed. Writing two guys is so much easier *blushes* but then again, writing it in a family room is no mean feat! I tried using Pnau to help me along, but that didn't work (Pnau feels like porn music. I'm not kidding, but it's really good) but I eventually turned to the copy of Vast's first album, in particular the track Pretty when you cry. It seemed to fit.

One last thing I might add is that I'm sorry I keep adding in the flash backs and all. I have the whole species thing worked out and everything, and I think you can understand how they react to stuff better if you knew what happened to them.


	11. 10 Porcelain

I'd prefer to know him on a first name basis as I do with the other characters, but the fans seem to firmly think that Prozen is his only name. Therefore, companions will call him by his first name, Gunther, while the evil good guys will call him by his last name…while cursing him of course.

Oh yes, and Thomas x Raven fans unite. *dance*

In case you haven't already noticed, yes, there will only be a little of the Karl/Prozen thing. I don't know how to write a romantic Karl, in fact, I'm not sure he exists, but I think you may have already figured out what Payne has in store for Prozen and Hiltz. He is a bad man.

Chapter 10: Porcelain

Raven sat on the porch of the house, looking out over the grey water in front of him that lapped hungrily at the beach. It had been raining all night and showers still peppered the land with a fine grey mist.

But for all its depressiveness, it was somehow therapeutic, and for the first time in his memory he had slept in that day to wake alone…well, sort of alone…and calm. Dressed in a pair of loose trousers and a long sleeved shirt with thongs he rested his head against a hand and watched the seagulls wheel and turn in between the rain fall. Shadow was beside him, his head in Raven's lap, purring softly as his eyebrow ridges were scratched. 

The door carefully opened and he heard shuffled footsteps and a grunt as the other person sat down beside him.

"Hi." Raven said, without sparing him a glance.

"…" The person looked at him. "What…did you…just say?"

"I said hello."

"Oh. I…thought that's…what you…said. I couldn't…be…too sure."

"Yeah?"

"…Yeah."

Silence for a moment. Raven looked down at the sand a few steps away from him. He'd been drawing with a stick, a childish act indeed, but somehow fitting for this meeting. He finally turned away from the sea, having been pulled into it's melancholic grip by memories past. His lower lip trembled, and tears that had not been shed since the death of his parents began to fall.

"I missed you, you asshole." He whispered. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?"

Prozen reached out to gently stroke his foster son's face. "I have…no idea." He replied.

Raven gulped, trying to swallow those _horrible_ and _weak_ tears, but now he couldn't stop. He lunged forward and threw his arms around the older man's neck, burying his face in his shoulder and began to bawl his eyes out. Prozen gently slid his arms around the boy in a loving hug, and held him until he had stopped shaking.

"It's all right…Raven." Prozen whispered, stroking the youth's tousled hair. "I'm here. I'm…not going anywhere. I wouldn't…know where to go…if I _was_ going to leave. So…nothing to worry about…" Each word took effort and concentration to fight the folds of fever.

"I don't _care_!"

"Shh…shh…"

"You left me. You left me, just like my parents did. I was so mad, I blamed Van, I blamed everyone, I blamed myself…because…because I wasn't a good son…thought…thought you were…punishing me by going away…"

"I…would never…punish you unless you…did something really bad, and even then…I'm…pretty sure you'd find some way…to…appeal to my…better nature."

Raven twisted around so he was curled up in his foster father's lap like a baby, his head resting against Prozen's upper arm. "M'm glad you're okay." Raven murmured.

"So am I."

"…I was so mad when you did what you did…I did some really stupid things…"

"Ah, blowing up…military bases?"

"Yeah."

"That's…not being stupid." Prozen replied, each word an effort. "That's just…being annoying."

Raven smiled. "Yeah? I…I heard there were rumours you were still alive, and I ran to see what it was…only to find Rhyss and Hiltz…what did they _do_ to you?"

"…I don't know…my memory is…shattered. I'm…seeing things…hearing things."

"You're not going crazy. And you _don't_ need your medication."

"…I don't?"

Raven stared at the confusion on Prozen's face. "No. You never needed it in the first place. People were just stupid and paranoid."

"…Paranoid…about…_what_?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Raven sighed. "I missed you."

"I…missed you…too…Raven." He held him for a little while longer until Shadow grunted and stood up, upset at his master having all the attention and not him. The black organoid nudged Prozen's shoulder, and the warlord smiled, then gently scratched beneath his chin.

"We found Ambient. But…he turned to stone. Just like Shadow did…then I knew I was _really_ alone…I'd lost you to that thing…and then I lost Shadow…"

Shadow lost patience with being scratched and then gently caught Prozen's hand in his mouth and gave it a little tug.

"Shadow, cut that out." Raven growled.

The organoid didn't. Far from it in fact. Instead, he moved around and nudged Prozen with his snout. Raven slid out of his lap and grabbed the organoid to try and pull him away. When this had no effect, Prozen stood up and gently caught the organoid's head.

"Shh…Shadow. Take…it easy."

"I don't know what's wrong with him!"

"…He wants me…to go with him. It's alright."

"But you're sick!"

"…I'm…fine."

"Gunther! You stubborn _asshole_! You haven't changed, have you?!"

Leaning on the organoid, Prozen allowed himself to be led to the front of the house and to the right where the garage loomed. As Shadow moved he clucked to himself, as if satisfied with something. Something very important. Raven ran ahead of them and opened the door, still the picture of confusion.

"Shadow, why are you doing this? He's _dead_. He's not coming back."

"…Ambient…" Prozen murmured, and stepped into the gloom. The organoid was partially curled up, every limb showing weakness. It was somehow horrible looking at the statue of one of the most powerful things on Zi, that had once been very much alive. Well, alive in a sense. "They…bought you here. Why?"

"They were going to smash him. I didn't want that." Raven scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "He looks peaceful. Uh, did you two know each other?"

"Bits…and pieces. I know who…people are, Raven, but…there's something else…beneath the surface…asking to get out…" He reached out and touched the head of the beast. Distantly, there was the sound of a car motor.

"Um, they're coming back. Evelyn will be mad if she finds you out here and not tucked up in bed. You're suffering from Gapgi Fever…"

"Shh. I feel fine…"

"Liar."

The motor got closer.

Prozen moved his hand over the organoid's head, his face an expression of intense wonder. Then-

What happened next was hard to describe, but not impossible. Just as Fiona had done a few weeks before, his form became light, living energy. Spreading out from his hand was warm colour; a rich crimson flowed like water, glowing brighter and brighter as the light flowed over him. Raven heard the others coming in to see what was happening, but the light was so _bright_ he had to shade his eyes…ah…

And as quickly as it had come, the light went out, and two things happened – as Prozen slumped to the floor, and Ambient sprang up, roared, and stood over him.

"Oh my…!" Came a startled female voice. Evelyn, Raven realised.

Ambient seemed to assess the situation and stopped growling so loudly, moving back as the humans came cautiously forward to see the damage.

"He's unconscious."

"_Again_?" Thomas gasped. "Geez, tell me Karl, did he ever sleep when he was in office or no, 'cos he's probably catching up now."

Karl said nothing but carefully, as to not disturb Ambient, lifted up the still body again and took it inside. Raven felt a strange weight lifting from his heart that was even more so when he felt Thomas pat his shoulder. "Don't worry Raven. He's in capable hands."

Odd how he felt happy now, watching the smiling lieutenant in front of him, he'd been so sad without his company around. Thomas really made a difference around him, like, like little flickering lights that followed him and made everything else seem bright. Hell, even the clouds looked lighter.

"C'mon Raven, lets go inside. It'll probably rain soon. You should see how many people are out and about now! Everyone's trying to get their hands on the reward offered for the capture of the minister! I only said jokingly that maybe we should get the money, but Karl hasn't talked to me since. He keeps looking at Prozen, and I think he feels guilty because he didn't help out when he needed it and stuff." Thomas took a deep breath. "I'm hungry. Let's eat."

Raven stared at him, completely submerged, drowning in the absurd good naturedness of his companion. It was like a drug. He couldn't get enough of it.

With a final glance at his own organoid…who was, quite frankly, being embarrassing by jumping around the slightly larger one like a puppy, he linked his arm with Thomas' and smiled. "Yeah. Let's go and get something."

"Does it bother you that Prozen's back? I mean, can we trust him and stuff? Can we trust Ambient?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you smiling? I haven't seen you smile before like this. Did you guys make up or something?"

"Well, he said he was sorry." 

Thomas stopped at the steps and gave Raven a stern look. "Just because someone says they're sorry doesn't mean they actually mean it. Van says sorry to me all the time, and I know _he_ doesn't mean it."

Taking a deep breath, the shorter of the two considered his options. "Do you still like Fiona?"

Thomas gave some thought to this, and finally looked at his companion. "I think I always will." He said, quietly. "I like the way she shimmers. She's such a lady. But you know what? Seeing her watch Van all those times made me realise she loves him more than anything else in the world." Another pause. "Except maybe salt in her coffee."

"Why _does_ she seem so infatuated with that?" Asked Raven, holding open the door

"I tried it and it tasted gross." Thomas shrugged. "Do you think my brother likes Prozen?"

"Gunther."

"Huh?"

"His name is Gunther. Gunther Prozen."

"…Yeah, I know that, but I don't like him."

Raven rolled his eyes in frustration. "Whatever. But he…he's my dad, Thomas, and I'd like it if you were civil to him. I know he's a bit of a bastard-"

"A bit? A _bit_?!"

"Okay, maybe a lot, but _still_." Raven stopped in the living room, folded his arms and watched Thomas. Even if he was older than him, damn it, he was a lot younger in mind. Thomas pouted and glared at Raven from beneath his brows.

"I'm sorry Raven." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry too." Came the happy reply. Again, touching his shoulder felt nice. A part of Raven wanted to draw away, the other wanted to stay and curl up Thomas' arms and make him tell the darkness inside to go away. He smiled faintly again.

"Raven?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you let go now?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Raven turned away, his cheeks burning a rich red. 

Whoops.

~ to be continued. 

Hehehe I think this chapter sucked, Gunther didn't feel right :( I hope this Raven is in character. We never really see what Prozen and Raven's relationship is like outside the military. I think it would have been cool if they kinda had a close relationship. A few chapters from now, a very knowledgably and rather adorable character will step in. I thought he got only a tiny part in the series, and it sucked because he was kinda cool. Dumb, but cool. Well everyone, like some of the other characters, Jake O'Connell is not what he seems. He's gonna kick ass! 

Oh, and between you and me, I'm currently writing chapter 18, "I don't pay for sanity", where Hiltz goes baaaaad. Oh yes, and he also gets his new zoid. Nyuuuuuuuuuu~~ You'll also see how a Hertz actually CREATES Zoids. *yawns* This was my first day back at tafe ^^ I missed it so…


	12. 11 My responsibility

_I might add that there is a real name in here. He was my *twinkling lights and hearts* first real crush. Actually, I think he was my first love. Thank God I moved on…he's now head pimple (Name given by the great DarkRose) at the local McDonald's to make his uni days easier. Bwahahahaha. _

_Oh yes, and there was a typo in the previous chapter. Prozen doesn't have Gapgi Fever, that would have proved to be too complicated for the plot and it's weird enough. In fact, he's not even suffering from a fever in the first place, so there ;p It's important, but why exactly, I can't tell you ^^ Thanks goes to Colonel-Sama (who probably won't read this because of three taboos: Prozen, Hiltz and the last is having thrown Karl into the dirty little mix.) The reason the thanks is here, is because she had the idea of the whole Karl/Marcus thing and Karl regretting it in one of the earlier fictions of the great Leon Aethelwulf. I sort of expanded on it…_

Chapter 11: My responsibility

Looking down at the peaceful form beneath the covers, Karl was once again reminded of how fragile life was. He no longer had any doubt if Raven's story was true. He had seen them with his own eyes.

The resurrection of Ambient.

The Red Sun.

The two brothers had escorted Evelyn into the town a few clicks away and had seen the general chaos. Communications had been the priority now, and people _knew_ Prozen was at large on Zi. Of course, the word 'Reward' had got a lot of attention. There were also people there…who were different. A feeling, just inside his body, a whisper in his heart. Something was Wrong.

There was right and wrong. There was also _Right_ and _Wrong_, the fundamental gut feeling you got when something was going to happen. The way these people smiled was predatory, they way they looked at you with their cold eyes, sizing you up to how bigger threat you could be. He'd caught one or two of them sniffing him, and that was plain embarrassing.

Now, as he looked down on the crumpled form beneath him, something twisted. His hands began to shake and he swore, softly.

"Wake up. Please wake up." He whispered. When that got no response, he reached down and started to shake the sleeper's shoulder. "Wake _up_ damn it!" Why wouldn't the fever break? He shouldn't be _this_ effected by it!

Karl slumped against the warm body and there was a muffled sob. All of his life, those he had loved were always distant to him with his job. At first it had been okay, but now? No. If only…if only he'd taken the advice when it was given…to walk away…

He didn't _want_ the responsibility anymore. Did Thomas realise how lucky he was? Really?

Hurtful jealousy stabbed his frail heart. 

He kept thinking about all the people who he'd lost. How…when Marcus had died…idiot that he was…and Prozen had been so _mad_. Later on, when they had all met up, he'd had to go and see the minister for himself. And prepared for the worse, too.

"Karl?" The minister asked patiently. He never seems to eat, the major thought. Never. I have never seen him eat one damn thing in all the time I've known him. I mean, he doesn't even pick his nose and eat it.

"Minister Prozen, if I can explain-" 

A raised hand, a bid for silence. "There's no need to say you're sorry. There is also no need for explanation. We both know that Lieutenant Marcus Lavont has always been a bit of a loose cannon…if not a liability… to our army. But despite this, major, I'm sorry for your personal loss." They were genuine words of comfort to him, spoken from the heart, and Karl was surprised, deeply so. No one was supposed to know…They'd been so careful… "I know you and the Lieutenant had a life outside your respective jobs…"

_"Oh, so you're going to fire me because I'm gay?" Karl snapped. He wasn't the emotional type, but the way the minister was acting was as if it were a _crime_. It wasn't like his family needed any more heirs to the Shubaltz name, their little sister had gotten pregnant at 15 and was well on the way of having her third child, and quite happy to live off the money her family was giving her._

_The minister shook his head. "No. Why should I act as if you've done wrong?"_

_Well _that_ was a shocker "It's just…I thought…Permission to speak freely sir, and without conviction?"_

_"Just as long as you don't break down in tears. I can't handle another episode like that after Hommelef came to me about his daughter Marjorie." Came the tired reply._

_Karl smiled, despite the feelings inside. He'd never been very good at showing his emotions. "General Nathaniel Evans was very _specific_ in his views. He felt that homosexuality was a bad and unnatural thing, and couldn't comprehend how we felt about each other."_

_"Well, you were very professional in my eyes." Prozen replied. "Karl?"_

"Yes?" 

_"I'm sure you'll find someone else. It may take a while. I know it sounds unfeeling, but at times, I suspected, you and Marcus were…slightly destructive with each other. There is a piece of advice I feel I must impart on you, if you wish to hear it."_

_Karl paused, wondering. He was hurt by the words of the minister, even if he knew they were true. "I…suppose so. Yes."_

_"A wise man once told me that as long you are positive, life will work out. I can understand that right now you feel very upset and hurt inside, but try to stay on top of it. I mean, if you really want to be cynical, at least there's no messy break up you have to worry about."_

_Was he making a joke? Karl nodded, slowly._

_"I may sound unfeeling…but I assure you, I sympathise. I'd like it if you took a little while off to consider your options. You may feel there's no hope anymore, here in the military. I'd be quite happy to boost your superannuation with my own funds should you wish to retire." His face was sad. "I too, lost someone I was close to."_

_"And did you find someone better?" Karl asked._

_"I don't know." Those crimson eyes watched him. Looked into him. Karl felt naked beneath his gaze. "Times change, as do people. And as much as I despise change myself, I move on with it. Such is life."_

_"…Forgive me for saying this…but I feel as if you have the wrong end of the proverbial stick, minister. You can't just forget someone. Just like that."_

_"I never said forget them. I said move on. Accept their loss." His brow tightened and Karl saw emotion in the pale face. "I accepted the loss of something a long, long time ago, such is my fate. Feel lucky you still have your health…"_

"…and your freedom." Karl whispered aloud, still confused. Was he talking about him? Was he seeking refuge in a lonely major?

There had always been desire from afar. A _lot_ of people had felt that way about the untouchable minister. And now, here was the man himself, broken and in need of help, protection. A surge of emotion made Karl's head spin, a soft desire to protect…yes…his responsibility, he'd do it, he'd protect this man…

Unbidden, he reached out, gently touching his pale lips…moving down…his own mouth parted to kiss-

"KARL!! HELP MEEEEEEE!!"

~ to be continued.

_*Grooves to BT's never gonna come back down* Oh yes, I am evil, evilevilevil…cliff hanger…_

_Sorry Nathan. I couldn't resist. *Raises her cup of tea* Here's to government conspiracies and the story I…helped…you write, you know, the one about toilet in Area 51, and how Monica Lewinski (sp?)…oh, is this thing still on…? Okay, I take full responsibility for that. But hey, it was funny. And it was a great way to pass through physics class. I don't think the teacher ever figured out what we were laughing at!!!_


	13. 12 Bad day just got worse

Yet again, I thank all my reviewers! It wouldn't be the same without you all to back me up. I was always so worried when writing this story because I didn't know how people would feel with it. Most of the Zoids community has shunned this sort of thing because it's not considered the norm'…but you people…*shakes her head* How can I thank you enough?

_Hey Maelgwyn…I remember reading that you didn't like Hiltz and Gunther…if that's the case, why are you reading this? *Does her confuzzled plink look* Oh well. Hi Biowolf! *waves* And Nao-nao, don't worry, plenty of good Thomas/Raven soon. *dances* I owe you for 'We are eternal' That story was…so damn…beautiful…!!!*cries*_

Chapter 12: Bad day just get worse.

It had not been a good few days for President Robert Hermann as he stomped into his office, Charlotte at his side like some tiny tugboat ministering a steamer. He was panicking. He was so used to being in the military, it was so much easier with O'Connell around running errands for him all the time. You knew where you were with guns and men and Zoids.

His mother had disappeared. Well, not really, she was with the Shubaltz brothers, and he didn't know if he could trust the slimy bastards. Oh, they may have _acted_ as friends when the chips were on the table, but he didn't trust the sly Imperial pigs. All Imperials _sucked_.

Except maybe that hot chica Viola. Yummy-scrummy baby. 

To ease the tension of the situation, he pinched Charlotte's bottom and gave her a smile.

"Be a honey and find me Colonel Shubaltz's number. I need to talk to him urgently about this whole situation. I don't like people making things up behind my back."

"Yes sir." Charlotte muttered, embarrassed.

"And get me an update on our fugitive. I heard some people have seen some things."

"Yes sir." She walked outside, then hurriedly came in again. "Sir?"

Hermann glared at her over his coffee. "What?"

"Mister Janae is here."

"Excellent. Perhaps he can shed some light on the situation regarding that bastard Prozen." Hermann leant back and propped his boots on the desk, the picture of relaxation.

The other man was ushered in. Janae was a good guy, someone Hermann had instantly liked. He was a touch man, took no crap from anyone, least of all his troops. A group of freedom fighters, against the Imperials, especially Lord Prozen…

"Hermann. How _are_ you doing?"

"Fine considering my mother was abducted by a pair of Imperials."

"Make that a quartet." Payne sat down on the other chair and tugged absently at a lock of orange hair. "I feel you should know that for everything he's done, it looks like the Empire is welcoming back our mutual friend Prozen with welcome arms. An eye-witness we have told us that Colonel Shubaltz smuggled him out of the hearing with your mother at gun-point."

"WHAT?!" Hermann fell off his chair.

"Oh, it doesn't stop there. _Lieutenant_ Shubaltz met with them a little further down along with the renegade Raven Prozen, who, if I recollect, is the minister's legal foster child. I think you've been fucked up the ass, Hermann. The Imperials are riding you like a dog in heat."

"Those _bastards_!!"

"They have a child in parliament. How else do you think they can do this?"

"But Emperor Zeppelin's a good kid…"

"But he's still a kid. Even as we speak, renegades are popping up as secret supporters of the minister. He may be laying down, but I assure you, if you don't catch the son of a bitch, he's going to destroy everything you've worked for and leave you with nothing."

"My mother…"

"Family is a precious thing. At your command, I can have a personally picked team go in and retrieve both your mother and the little escapee."

Hermann stared at the honest face in front of him. Where the gang had been hiding he didn't know, they were fantastic Zoid pilots and great with weaponry as well. Not even hand-to-hand combat has been forgotten - It would have been great to have them in the war. They'd come into the picture in the last few days, but a lot of people knew them, so Hermann felt safe. 

Besides, he was a _great_ judge of character.

"Look, uh, let me put it this way, you can't go up against Prozen because there are imperial men there. But what if an unknown team brought them to justice? We wouldn't kill anyone. We're in it…for the _people_, understand. You and the emperor have already agreed to hand him over to the right authorities, and we _are_ a third party in this little mess. Minister Prozen has done a _lot_ of irreversible damage to the both of you, and it wouldn't be fair now would it, if one got to judge the punishment. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but really…"

"Yeah…you're right…"

"So…?"

"As a personal favour, I'm asking you…please bring them back. But I want them all alive. Do you understand?" Hermann muttered. "Alive."

~ to be continued.

_Okies_, now _O'Connell is coming up!_

_Janae is such a poo-bum, isn't he? Great judge of character? Yeah, suuuuuure, Hermann. Pull the other one… _

_Hey, it's come to mind that in using the phrase 'Red Sun' I might be discriminating against the Japanese with their use of a red circle on their flag. The reason I use this term is not only because it sounds good and righteous for a group of freedom fighters, but also because of the marking on their foreheads. A reddish pink circle. The Hertz lived underground, and were unable to go out in the sun for long periods of time, or they would get sick from sunstroke and stuff (seeing as they have no colour pigment) and would only come up to the world above during the night, early morning and most often in late afternoon – when the setting sun was red. Red sun. The Reapers would come during these in between times when the Hertz were moving around and go into their cities to kill them. So there you have it – when the red sun went down, the Red Sun (Reapers) came out. I hope this cleared up any problems. I think I've already offended quite a few people with this fic so far, but you know what? I like writing this. If I offend you with the pairings then tell me – I don't care. There are plenty of the normal pairings on FF.net and other Zoids fansites with fiction on them. I'm trying to write a good story here with believable characters and trying to make sense of things. Oh yes, and get my favourite characters together, just as they were always meant to be. Come on – Gunther Prozen and Hiltz Sierra. Match from heaven. Don't deny it ;p_


	14. 13 Mail order ninjas from hell

_As I post this, I'm going to gleefully report I'm close to finishing it. I think. Chapter 24, and of course, it's another lemon. *evilsmirk* the one I've been wanting to write!!! Much love to Naomi Hunter ~ The Thomas/Raven is all for you, kiddo! _

Chapter 13: Mail order ninjas from hell

The attack was so swift; Thomas was barely able to get out of the way. The windows smashed inwards as the winds howled from the storm outside as the soldiers came in. Lethal shards of glass sleeted down and to Thomas' horror, he heard Raven scream in agony as the younger man was in hurt. In slow motion he fell, and rage opened up in Thomas' soul enough for him to hit the first man wildly.

Thomas was not a good fighter, instead, he would erupt in a volley of punches and kicks in an effort to overwhelm the enemy before they realised he couldn't actually fight at all. The method usually worked, and for a brief moment, it worked here…but not enough. As Evelyn ran into the living room to find a gun, Thomas managed to grasp Raven and pull him beneath the table to avoid the confusion.

"KARL!! HELP MEEEEEEE!!"

He threw his arms around Raven, holding him down, hearing the soft moan of pain in his ear. The warmth of Raven's breath was strangely comforting to the young man. The lights swung wildly and Thomas tensed as the table was shoved aside, exposing them. He looked up, determined to see his attacker in the face. For a moment, he thought he saw the air shimmer in front of the masked man, but the raising of the gun was depressingly real.

"Give us the renegade." He said. "And your sentence will be lessened for betraying the alliance between the Helic Republic and the Guylos Empire."

A part of Thomas wanted to give Raven up, because that was what he had been taught to do. Obey authority. But something else completely unknown came out and slammed into his frightened and innocent heart. Raven had done a lot of bad things, but damn it, he wasn't going to give him up so easily to these dark and horrible people.

"…No." He whispered. He heard a yell from the stairs and realised Karl was in trouble. His head span.

"Then I apologise in the fact I now have to kill you." The man said tiredly.

Then he…sliced apart.

"Guh-rk!!"

Slices of him fell to the floor, blood spreading outwards in a slimy puddle of goo and liquids. Thomas fought off the urge to be sick and looked into the calm face of none other than Captain Jake O'Connell, his hands raised in a fighting stance, perched precariously on the back of one of the sofas. He moved his hands, as if pulling something towards him, the air shimmering slightly as he did so.

"Fuckin' hell! No one said there was an _Aether_ here!"

Two of the other soldiers spun around and tried to shoot, but O'Connell was gone, a blur. More shimmering and one of them was cut clean in half, the other lost his shooting arm. In silence he appeared behind them, against the sink, panting for breath.

"Lieutenant Shubaltz, get Raven into the living room, and try not to be sick. I'll be finished in a minute. Your brother is safe. Protect the Minister, _please_."

"You sliced that guy!" Came the hysterical response.

"He was a bad man. He deserved it." Came the patient reply and he pushed them out of the way as a machete came down and cut a groove in the cupboard door they had been leaning against a moment before. With no time to do his slicing trick, O'Connell used another idea and moved his hand down, the other hand and the machete clattering to the ground. The palm knife flicked back beneath the cuff of his glove and he moved with the grace of a dancer, away from the floundering soldier. He pulled out the gun at his hip, smacked the bottom of it to secure the cartridge inside, then shot the wounded man once through the chest and another through the head. One of the guys, quicker on the uptake, grabbed him from behind, and with the barest amount of effort, somehow, O'Connell kicked upwards, enough to make anyone wince. Stunned, the guy fell back, and met the same fate as the others. The last man was making his way towards Thomas and Raven, but didn't make it. A second later he screamed and fell, his legs cut out from beneath him.

O'Connell stood over the gibbering man and carefully aimed a lead slug through the man's head, obliterating the red circle. He then took a step back as the body continued to convulse. 

"Holy shit." Thomas whispered, clutching Raven like a stuffed toy.

"Watch." He replied, calmly. "Because seeing is believing." As he spoke, the wound began to heal and the man's eyes rolled forward again. "The only way to kill these bastards is a shot to the head, and one to the heart, or cause enough damage to make sure they can't heal themselves. As long as one of them keeps going there's will power there, enough to start up the healing processes." He shot the man as he spoke and finally the body was still. "I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

"_You_ just _killed_ a _guy_-"

"He wasn't human, Lieutenant. He was a bloody _Zoidian_. A _Reaper_ in fact. The Red Sun. Is Lord Winter okay?" O'Connell replied, pulling off the hood of the man. His eyes were a pale yellow, his hair a dark blond. On his forehead was a red circle.

"Who?"

"Sorry." O'Connell struck his forehead. "Minister Gunther Prozen. Is he okay?"

"Suffering from a touch of fever-" Came the worried voice of Evelyn. She was standing behind Karl, who in turn was halfway down the stairs, his mouth wide open with surprise.

"Can you keep an eye on him?"

"Wait a second, you're _Jake_ O'Connell, one of the nicest guys in the Republic army…what the hell do you think you're doing? How the hell did you know we were _here_?" Thomas snapped, tearing another strip of material from his shirt to help bandage Raven's wounds. 

"I apologise, but that's classified information. Know that these men sought to kill you, and they were sent by a supposed ally…President Hermann. Yes, I am Jake O'Connell, but I am also someone dedicated to the real monarchy of Zi. I…wish I could tell you more, but…I am forbidden. I'm sorry."

Evelyn opened and closed her mouth trying to think of something to say. She had known O'Connell for most of her career, and was pretty sure if she had invested in a group of neo-McGuyver-ninja types, she would remember it. And Rob would have told her…but that didn't explain O'Connell's fighting prowess if such a group had been set up in the short time that had been. 

Nor did it explain why he had a little box of dental floss in his hand.

"Excuse me, but is that mine?"

O'Connell blinked and stared at his right hand. "Why yes. I think it is. I came in through an upstairs window to make sure the minister hadn't been injured in any way. I used up quite a lot of it, but there's still some left." Clumsily, he gave it to her, and once again he was the old O'Connell, the apologetic and hopelessly sweet man who really needed to stop being so serious all the time. "It's a poor substitute for good old cheese wire. You can't go wrong with it, and it makes the loveliest noise in an open space. If you spin and throw it fast enough, you can even play tunes…"

"Well…that's…very nice." Karl replied, hopelessly. "But you sliced people apart with dental floss. I have seen a lot of things in my time, and that is by far the strangest."

There was a clatter in the kitchen and everyone tensed.

"I can't believe it. I missed the bastard's heart." O'Connell grunted and ran into the kitchen to see the form moving out of the window and weaving their way across the lawns to a StormSworder. O'Connell sighed and ran a gloved hand through his teal hair, his grey eyes tired. "Well, Janae now knows about me. He won't name names, but put me on a line up… But it also means that now the Republic knows you're here… As far as President Hermann is concerned, he believes that you were abducted, Mrs Camford. The Shubaltzes are wanted in their country for disobeying the crown and the Guardian Force are baying for blood. The Reapers have what they wanted – chaos and a price on the minister's head."

"Please, Captain…what is a Reaper?" Spoke up Evelyn.

"Winter will tell you when he wakes up. I contacted both Ambient and Shadow on the way in and requested that they stay out of it – the fight I mean. Hermann will only hear that yes, you are here, you are all healthy and safe, but it went horribly wrong when someone turned up and started causing trouble. Look, I have to go, I have to get back to the Republic before people realise I'm missing! Memories don't last that long!" He stood up and paused, then touched Thomas' shoulder. "Ask the minister for help when he wakes up. I think he'll be conscious soon. He may be able to help Raven. I'll hopefully see you all in good health soon, all right? Janae will think twice about sending down a team to take you out in the same night, but all the same, I'd like it if you all left and found better lodgings for the night."

And with that, he gave them a little bow and walked out of the door, humming a jaunty tune.

Thomas watched this, then looked down at Raven's calm face. He realised that he'd been conscious throughout the whole ordeal. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." Came the weak reply. "But I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah?" Thomas asked surprised. "I'm glad you're here too."

And he held him as he passed out.

~ to be continued.

_Was that too confusing? Aethers were probably amongst the weakest of the people of Zi, and were very light and athletic beings. O'Connell is not a pureblood of course, which explains why he looks so human. The Zoidian children who saw them on the beaches in the past called the Aethers fairies. They had wings. Not always strong enough to fly with, flying was sort of being phased out because the predators (Funnily enough, Prozen and Hiltz' respective species!!) stopped hunting them with the treaty. O'Connell is tall for his kind. Their wings are very insect-like usually clear with veins running though them that are the same colour as their hair. Hehe…Does Jake have wings? I don't know…hmm…fairy Jake…hehe_

_I'm making Thomas a real prat, aren't I? I always saw him as an excitable person, so it sort of works. Am I playing him right?_

_Is this too far out or what?_


	15. 14 Sowing the seeds of dissolution

_I have a confession. I love writing Hiltz-angst._

_Oh, and a PUBLIC apology to Biowolf: When I go net surfing, I tend to forget where I lifted images from. So I say here and now: My god, I am so embarrassed. I'm sorry. *sweatdrop* I'm an idiot not worthy to be in your presence. I've been meaning to draw you a gift picture, but everything I've come up with I'm just not happy with. That's why the apology has been so long in coming…grahgh…_

_Oh yes…and a big hello to closet reader Zinou, *bows* I am honoured that you reviewed ^^_

Chapter 14: Sowing the seeds of dissolution 

He stood silently, watching the events over and over, especially the images of Karl touching…going to _kiss_ his Hertz. How could Gunther just lie there like that and let him do it? Hiltz snarled softly and involuntarily at the thought that was rudely projected into his mind, a carry on of what might have been, Karl turning the sleeper over and undressing him slowly, exploring as he did so, moving with more and more hunger to consume the fragility beneath him. Hiltz shook his head, no, never, never ever, _ever_.

"But it could happen." 

He turned around to see Payne stroll into the room, looking tired.

"Stay out of my head, you bastard. Up all night with your girls, were you?"

"Fuck off, half breed. I'm in no mood to spar with you today over the insults. I could bring you to your knees and you know it. Entertaining thought, isn't it?" Payne yawned. "And you know what's even worse? My best men were killed. All except one of them who is currently healing himself in his room, fat lot of good that will be when I'm through with him. Tell me, did you have any idea that Captain Jake O'Connell was an Aether?"

Hiltz stared at him. "You're kidding."

"No. I'm not. So explain why an Aether, an actual _supporter_ of that handsome piece of meat on display there, actually allowed the humans to bring the UltraSaurus back from the dead? Doesn't make sense."

"O'Connell has no real power in the military." Hiltz replied. "He probably didn't know."

"Bullshit."

"No, seriously. Humanity loves secrets. They're not very good at it, but secrets like that…?"

"Huh. I suppose you'd know, seeing as the little dirt worshippers raised you. Oh, message from the survivor Lason. Ambient is alive. Shit, half breed. _Nobody_ loves you, do they?"

Hiltz fought the urge to hit him. "I asked him to protect Gunther, that's why he's not here."

"And _look_ how he repays you. He's planning on pairing off with that _delicious_ Karl Shubaltz. I know Rare Hertz aren't really classified as having a sex since they _all_ breed, but does this make him gay?"

"Go away. " Hiltz' head span. He couldn't take much more of this.

"Ooh, am I touching a _sensitive_ spot, half breed?"

"No, I'm just wondering how easy it's going to be for you to walk around if I break you neck."

"Tough words, half breed." Payne patted him on the back. "You know what I think? Karl's going to do the job for us. In the state our little Hertz is in, he couldn't fight back to save his life. And he'd probably be unable to resist, little whore that he is."

More images of them naked, sweating and moaning beneath the sheets of the bed. Hiltz almost swooned and fell to the ground, one hand still clutching the rail. "…No…" He breathed. "…He wouldn't…"

"Oh I think he would. Unless you get there first. The person who takes his innocence gets to keep him forever. If Karl does it before he's ready, he gets to keep him. You'll never see him again, and what a waste that will be…all your hard work…and the _worst_ part, if you killed Karl, the Hertz would shun you for the rest of your miserable days. So, in essence, do you want to steal him away and do your thang, or are you going to let some human _whelp_ take _your_ place? He'll never be free anymore, but who can treat him better?" Payne crouched down beside him, leaned into his back and licked Hiltz' ear. "Who deserves him more?"

"I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, _I hate you_." Came the whisper.

"Yeah half breed, I know. I know. You're on our side. Kill Karl and we'll see. What do you say?"

"No."

"Your loss. In 48 hours or less, he'll be ready. He'll be waiting. Needing. He's already gone into the transformation state all of the children enter in order to prepare themselves for the stress of adulthood. Heh, the humans think he's sick…" Powerful hands massaged his shoulders. "And when he wakes up, nothing will stop him. He'll take what he wants, and he will hunt down the person he needs. I want it to be you. But it could also be Karl. And those people? Karl's brother? Raven? The president's mother? All of them will go to satisfy his hunger when he wakes up properly. It will be a bloodbath."

Hiltz watched the screen on the security monitor through dull eyes. He'd been fighting it for so long, the dull and angry cold of the parasite inside him. It was so tempting in the dark of night to give in to the promises given to him by the creature living within…

A dark web was gently woven around his mind, pulling him tighter and tighter into this strangely cold embrace, whispering horrible and hurtful things into his ears. And suddenly, it was like a blanket had been lifted from him – he was so aware it was overwhelming. Payne's thoughts arrived in his mind an instant later as he stood up.

_Good work. See? That wasn't so hard._ Payne ruffled his hair. "But remember you're pretty low level, half breed. Manipulation of someone other than a pathetic human is not something I suggest you do." At that moment a lance of heat speared him and Hiltz moaned as Payne plucked the chords of lust and desire in his mind, coupled with the image of Karl and Gunther lovemaking in front of him. He trembled, fighting desperately, but Payne overwhelmed him and drowned him in the gruesome image within his mind's eye. A minute or so later he lay still, sick in his stomach by the fact he'd been aroused by this sick fantasy enough to need to change his boxer shorts. He'd enjoyed it in a deep, dark part of his soul, the part we all detest…

"48 hours isn't quite long enough is it, half breed?" Payne sang, his smile cruel. "I must say you enjoyed that, didn't you? That's an idea, kill Karl while he's fucking him and take his place. Nice thought. Liked the touch when you snapped the cutie's neck. You planning on doing that?"

_Say yes_. Payne's command was like fire in his brain. "Yes."

"Good. Oh, in case you haven't realised, free will is an illusion around me. I'm stronger than you are, and if it takes my fancy or you piss me off, you will suck my cock. Think you can handle that?"

"I'll kill you Payne."

"Yeah, yeah, it's getting boring. Haven't you got anything else to say? Huh? You're just like the bloody humans we keep around this rat hole for the laughable protection we supposedly need…all supporters of our Hertz, thinking they're doing the right thing, power hungry idiots. You are so set in your ways it's sickening." Payne patted his head again. "Go take a nap, get used to what's going on inside your head, then we'll suit you up and cause some havoc. You will be a part of the group going out in a day or so to collect Alisi Lynette, and in turn, your Hertz, seeing as they will no doubt seek refuge with their former friends. Ambient won't be with you…Reapers rarely use Organoids…but I'm pretty sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. Think of Prozen as your reward afterwards."

Hiltz' eyes darkened as the power inside took hold, and his smile was murder. "Yes. Of _course_."

~ to be continued.

 _Okay, just in case I didn't explain it: The Reapers have taken over the mansion Prozen apparently owns. I don't remember seeing it in the series, but a lot of fics have had it in there, so bweh. The Reapers have called on all the available supporters he has (lacking the Redler guys of course! ^^) as guards. Don't get too attached to them. I wasn't kidding about the bloodbath. Remember what I wrote in my profile?_

_I just wanna get to the Hiltz/Gunther scene right now!! *cries*_


	16. 15 Wish you were here

_I was asked about it, so here it is, Prozen's side of the story…so sad…;_;_

Chapter 15: Wish you were here.

  
Prozen woke slowly to feel Ambient pressed against his back. He felt strangely alone, and this didn't feel right at all…where was the warmth he'd been dreaming of? He fumbled with the quilt to try and reach the other body, but no one was there. Shocked, he sat upright.

"Hiltz?"

No answer.

Okay, he must be getting breakfast or something, yes, that was it.

…No.

It was getting dark, so it was afternoon. He looked over Ambient's chest unit at the alarm clock sitting on the dresser, and stared at the time, four thirty. He'd been asleep during the day? Everything felt so fuzzy and wrong…

_I need Hiltz. Where is he?_ The craving was strong. He wanted to be held, touched, _soothed_. He needed it.

There was something in his mind…a picture…

Ambient rolled over, his hind legs waving in the air and cooed appreciatively as Prozen reached down and scratched his stomach. Actually, he wasn't sure if Organoids could feel it, but Ambient seemed to like it.

Hiltz…

The dream came back now, of his old house, and the fact that now it was shrouded with darkness. Something was inside it, something terrible…and Hiltz was there. His normally bright and glowing spirit was dampened and held down by threads of a murky red brown colour, the colour of dried blood. He was giving in to it, slowly allowing himself to be taken apart, and then destroyed…

He had to find him.

Standing up unsteadily, Prozen moved across the room and poked his head around the door. He sniffed, picking up the

…Delicious… 

scent of blood, and his stomach growled. Why was he so excited by that scent? It spoke something to him, something he remembered from long ago…something important…

Ambient nudged him in the small of his back.

"Easy, I'm going…"

He felt so hot…

As he moved down the corridor and listened to the voices below, he could feel someone leave the building and hear the beat of four hearts down below on the ground floor of the building. The knowledge frightened him, but at the same time comforted him, eased his fear and pain. 

Being afraid was not something he was unfamiliar with. Quite the opposite, because now, as he moved, things were startlingly easy to remember, bright and bold. He had always been afraid, in the days of the Empire's glory. From waking up, to finally giving in…

The last clear thing he remembered of the chaos of infanthood was being pulled from the DeathSaurer's cockpit by frantic people. He had been drenched in blood, his own and others, family. Shivering, weak. They'd cleaned him up as best they could, and sealed him in the warmth of a capsule. That life, the one of persecution and torture, had never left him. He had simply fallen asleep, and the next day he had awoken to a man looking down at him, filled with curiosity.

He'd been raised in the Empire as the Emperor's foster son. He had been loved, and had grown in that love, forever missing his companions, a stigma on his soul. He had always asked the emperor if there were anyone by the name of Hiltz Sierra in the records, but alas, no one was there. The best friend he had ever had…was gone. The people grew afraid of him in this little world, where power meant everything. Prozen had learnt quickly, forgetting the old ways as the doctors who spoke to him, asked him strange questions about his life and began prescribing pills and fluids for him to take. And slowly, like falling asleep, he'd drifted into the strange world, doing whatever he was asked to by the only person who ever actually loved him. Power became a drug to him. No, not power, the desire to rule. Looking back, there was little wonder; it was in the blood after all. He was not human, he was Rare Hertz.

But he could never escape what they had done to him, the Zoidians. He always felt dread when anyone talked about them to him. Now he remembered why.

He remembered being strapped into the machine, hooked up to the life support system, and then drained of all will as Zoids swam into existence. From his blood, sweat and tears they came, as he scratched at the table and screamed with pain, they took almost all the life energy he had to make their war machines. Not natural Zoids. 

They took blood, they examined him, and they stripped him naked and left him in the darkness of a cell while they discussed him. And why? They were curious, yes, but _why_? Did they think he was an animal? Did they not realise that Rare Hertz were the true rulers of Zi? That they controlled everything?

And yet…

Killed off…one by one…the survivors left to be stronger…until…there was only one left…

His head span and he slumped to the floor. Alone. He was alone. The last of his kind. Not even the parent species, the kind that gave birth to him, were there.

_Where is Hiltz?!_

It had been a surprise when Hiltz had turned up on the doorstep one day, asking to see him. Hiltz, he discovered, had slept too, and had been looking for him. Meeting him…had been…amazing. There had been this…sense of belonging. Hope. Joy. He _knew_ this strange, messy haired man. He hadn't been the least bit shocked when Hiltz had embraced him and kissed his forehead. It had been one of the most wonderful moments of his life…

Hiltz told him things. Helped him remember. Encouraged him. Praised him. Held him. Slept beside him when the voice of Dark Kaiser sang too loudly to be ignored. Curled up against his warmth between soft and familiar sheets, this strange love between them chaste and pure.

_You'll get through this. I know you will._

He played up to the expectations of the court, but he would never lie to the one person in his life that knew the truth about him. And of course, the emperor himself…

Ambient nudged him again, and Prozen slid an arm around the organoid's neck so he could help him up. The organoid cooed softly in response, and pulled him to his feet, purring softly.

He had to be strong. Hiltz was not dead. Yet.

Prozen climbed down the stairs and tried to ignore the blood smell. It was no longer enticing; instead, it was filled with corruption. The smell of decay was disgusting.

"Gunther! What are you doing up?"

Surprised, Prozen took a step back, suddenly alert. "Colonel…Shubaltz?" Yes…Karl was taking care of him. Now he remembered.

"Uh…"

"I see we were attacked." Prozen replied as images came into his head of people he had once known. "Understandable. I…remember…Mister Janae."

"Who?"

"The leader of the Reapers. That's what those people are. Can you smell the decay yet? You will…"

"Can you…tell us what they are?"

Ah, this was Evelyn Camford. The president of the Helic Republic, and therefore the enemy. No, correction, no _longer_ the enemy. By Ambient's records, the day after the destruction of the ancient city, she had stepped down from power. It had been too much for her.

Prozen met her gaze, and found that she refused to back down. He smiled, feeling a little better. Yes, she could probably be trusted.

"A Reaper is a Zoidian with a desperate desire to hurt as many people as possible. My people also called them the Red Sun. Like we hid from the sun beneath the ground, we hid from them. The red circle on their heads is their symbol…Rhyss, I believe, is a Reaper. Yes, she was one of the ones who caught me in the first place." He said softly, musing to himself. "Their…natural abilities are heightened by the willing ingestion of one of Zi's…lesser-known species. Merns." He pointed at the bodies. "Do you see that strange clear…jelly…that is forming on the wounds? That's how you know…it…it's a slug, I think. They inhabit the stagnant underground pools. They're not poisonous but you wouldn't drink that water because apart from the water tasting foul, you might get infested with their eggs. Then who knows how many you'd be infected with…" He shrugged. "I don't feel very well."

"You have a slight fever. Why haven't there any references to texts to do with Reapers?"

"There are. But people don't want to know about a group of insane Zoidians who killed off the native species of Zi. It doesn't fit in with the people's views. How in the world did I catch a fever?"

"Drafts." Karl replied. "Can you tell us what an Aether is?"

Prozen cocked his head to the side. "Aether…? Yes…a forest dwelling humanoid species. Zoidian children called them fairies. A number of species called them food, including mine…but they eventually lost their need for flight and wings are used for attracting a mate. Is this conversation going to steer towards someone getting me a drink of something cold?"

"I don't know yet." Karl replied. "But it is going to go in the direction of Raven." He pointed at the slumped form on the couch. "We were told you could help him. Is that true?"

Gently guided to his side, Prozen looked at his unconscious foster son, and then at his wounds. As he looked, he received little flashes of memory in his mind of something else. A woman, who…looked remarkably like Raven, only her hair…it was white…As he probed the wound, he probed the memory, and fell deeper…yes…her name…it was also Raven…unlike the others…her eyes were not red…but a deep dark grey, almost black…she was related to him somehow. He picked the glass carefully out of the wound, feeling his own body adjust to sooth the jangled nerves that sang in the youth's flesh. Raven relaxed as the numbing sensation crawled up his arm.

The woman was paired off with a male he'd never met, nor ever had done. His name forgotten over the tides of time, he had been killed when one of the cities of the Delnia were destroyed by the Zoidians. He had been…dragged out…and pinned to the metal roof of the communications hut, and they watched him burn and scream and beg for mercy. Raven…the female Raven…his father's sister…had known, and had almost taken her own life…but…before he was born…his father had coerced the sick female back into health again. She became a general of their army.

She had also been his minder when his father worked.

The memory of running at her side as the Red Sun came into their city, blew apart the entry ways, and destroyed everything, hearing the gun shots, and hearing her pain. She had run on, even with a lethal wound to her body, she had saved him. Or at least, thought she had. Locked him in one of the service lifts with a clerk from offices. Then…they…had broken in…her life…her light…she had summoned her energy to save him, to save them. But still they had come. Still they had killed. The clerk was dragged away. His fate unknown…but death was probably the answer.

But little Winter Drachnia was proudly tied up and taken away.

"Gunther…?"

Karl's touch and scent awoke him from the destruction. The fear. Gone were the visions of yesterday, here was now, and now was fear. It leaked off Thomas' skin like a waterfall. 

"Karl…Raven, he's…Oh gods, I don't want to loose him. I've lost too much…" He stared at his bloodied hand and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Truth was, he didn't know what he was doing, his heart hammering in his chest. But his body did. It was simply a question of harmony – convince yourself you are a part of the patient and remember what the body was like before the accident. Slowly, he ran his thumbs down either side of the cuts and sealed them, stroking the flesh back together, re-knitting the torn fibres and veins and leaving white scars behind. Scars were things he did not know how to heal. 

"Too much…" He whispered. "I've been resting too long…too much damage…Raven…Zi…oh gods…"

At his side was a deeper and more worrisome wound. Prozen shifted his weight, as more things came to mind, a memory of a man whom he resembled. He was sitting on a grassy hillside as night fell with his son in his lap as he taught him the fundamental truths about the powers of healing. Light from the sinking sun flowed around them as his father inhaled the shifting energy around him, absorbing it with great delight as it touched the exposed areas of his skin. Resting in that fortress of soft linen and warmth, it had been the safest place he could clearly remember, apart from Hiltz' arms. The words of his father had been soft and patient, his deep voice soothing to the delicate child he held.

_It is a lie if you are told we can do anything. There are limits, even to you, my child. Our power is divided between us, not equally, unfortunately. As each of us dies, the rhythm flows faster in those left behind. Have you felt this, Winter?_

The answer was yes. There were some days when he would wake up and the room would be spinning. A child was unable to control power it should not have.

_We do not rejoice in our powers growing like this. Growing naturally is different, because we all change. Sometimes we grow stronger. Sometimes we become weaker. This is because of the choices we make in life itself. Know that we are among the last, Winter, and in time, I feel, it will be you who will sow the seeds of a new generation._ His eyes, the same crimson, were so filled with love. The innocent though, did not understand at all. _It is not for me to decide what you do. Know that you must wait, wait until you know you are ready for what is ahead of you. But know that with great power comes a great price. They will hate you for what you are. You may find yourself in the company of those who do not understand. Don't forget this world. Don't forget who and what you are._

But he had. In anger, he dived into the darkness that shrouded the limp body in front of him and tore at the wound, and at the death shroud that covered him from loss of blood. Warnings of his tutors screamed in his ears, but he could not hear them as he retreated deeper into his corporeal shell. In his mind's eye he strengthened the fractured ribs, repaired the damaged organs, then pulled outwards towards, repairing the flesh as he went along. Threads of flesh wove and intertwined forming a bridge to heal the wound, but his head span, his breath hitched and he felt himself spin away again and fall. Was he falling in his mind or his body? Was this…Raven's _death_ he could feel?

He hit something warm, both mentally and physically, awash in a golden aura of protection more felt than seen. Little coloured lights exploded in his vision, and he could not move for a moment before he relaxed into this strange place. He opened his eyes to stare into Karl's face, alight with wonder.

"…Gunther?"

"Karl! Karl look! Look at Raven!"

Movement. In a haze, Prozen watched as the bodies moved around him, everything so slow and strange. He did feel hot. And so very, very thirsty. But there was no energy to help either of these ailments. He watched the warm glow of Raven's body, at the dribble of blood that now came was from each beat of his heart. From here, it was so easy to see _everything_, so easy to see how everything fit _together_ and _worked_. He could see Evelyn begin to bandage a now much lesser wound, sense the fear begin to leave their bodies, the lights that glowed within them dimming through both relaxation and his own grip on consciousness.

"…Thank you…" Came the whisper above him.

Karl's hands touched his face again, and before he slid back into the blessed coolness of sleep, he felt the colonel kiss his forehead. Not at all repulsed by this touch, Prozen allowed himself to sink into the crimson depths of a world only he knew, and drifted into the dark.

~ to be continued.

_Just so you know, at some point in time, I want to try and write Zoids: Rapid Fire. It's the build up to the events that destroyed the Zoidians. I also want to do a short about how Raven was named – Gunther's aunt on his father's side had the same name because she was a throwback to the days of yore and had dark eyes – Gunther sees this sort of thing in the Raven we all know and love from the series. Almost as if he was family. *whimpers* He's lost_ everybody _hasn't he?_


	17. 16 'Allo did you miss me?

Prrt! (That was a purr of delight) There is a hint of a famous coupling here, but you may not like the outcome. And you know what? I don't care! *dances* I also have no idea what the base of the Guardian Force is called, so I'm going to make it up. *deep breath*So, it's the day after… here we goooooo…

Chapter 16: 'Allo, did you miss me?

Irvine was disturbed.

It was hard to upset a pilot like him. Obsessed with money, yeah, a lot of guys were like that in the mercenary business, but something was going on that he couldn't handle. It was a number of different things all rolled up into a ball – Prozen being found alive, that weird Rhyss taking off in a stolen CommandWolf to come back whining like a child, and the fact Thomas…_Thomas _idiot that he was…had crossed over to the proverbial dark side and had abducted the president's mother! And then…the house…four very dead bodies…and completely devoid of anyone else…

Hermann was having _kittens_.

This only happened in the big budget flicks, or a really, _really_ bad fanfic written by a lusty 12 year old with a Mary Sue that would, of course, be in love with the lead character who would love him/her back. Of course, no one new had turned up, so he suspected things were safe.

But there was also the suspicion of something else. He didn't like these new friends of Hermann…in fact; a _lot_ of them were now appearing. The Red Sun, some sort of elite fighting squad…they didn't skulk around the base, Hermann was keeping them close as negotiations between the Empire and the Republic broke down. And…that feeling…

Rhyss had been speaking with them, telling them about how Prozen had disappeared…

_He's a dangerous man_…

Irvine swayed and clutched the side of his Zoid, trying to regain his mental footing. 

No.

Yes!

No.

Yes, Prozen was dangerous, _but_ he played by a set of rules. He was open about what he wanted with his prey. The grapevine was silent; he had made no demands, in fact, if anything, people had been saying he was sick. But then, if you were melded with a Zoid core, wouldn't you be sick too? There had to be _some_ side effects. _Had_ to be.

And still, that thought rattled around in his head. He could hear Van down the other side of the hanger talking to the new recruits about it all and emphasising on how evil the minister was.

_Yeah, he was evil, but look who he was working with. If I were in the same position, I would have grabbed power for myself too._ He wondered what it had felt like to watch your country's future being slowly piddled down the drain as the bureaucrats argued around you, knowing you could do it better.

He'd never told Van and the others about that little thought. It sort of made sense to him. He didn't like Prozen, hell no, but he had the right idea.

It was a well documented fact that a shake up of powers in a government was sometimes good for things. Fresh blood and stuff. As far as Irvine could see, it wasn't Rudolph making the decisions, it was his minders…

Life _sucked_.

"Hey Irvine!" 

Oh, that nasal drone, that tone of voice. He scowled and turned around to see Moonbay grinning at him like a Cheshire cat.

"What's up, Moonbay?"

"I don't know. Van sure looks happy, doesn't he?"

"He'd probably have a great career in politics if he tried. Are the Guardians being permitted out yet, or have the Red Sun taken our jobs? I meant their jobs…Shit."

"Ooh, so Irvine wants to be a member of the Guardian Force, does he?" Came the mocking reply.

"No."

"You can't fool _me_, Irvine. You _like_ that glory."

"Go away, Moonbay."

"No." She pouted. "I actually came over to talk to you. About…things."

"Things?" Little alarm bells went off in his head.

He knew how Moonbay felt about him. It was hard _not_ to pick up all the hints she'd been throwing at him over these last few weeks of things, from the last battle to now. He remembered Mammy telling him that there came a time in every woman's life when she wants to settle down and pop out little babies - The whole thought left him very cold. Him? Being a father? No way in hell. He knew he was hot, hell, even sexy, but damn it…Moonbay wasn't what he was looking for. He liked being friends with her, she was great to laugh with and play jokes on Van, but…she annoyed him. Something about her grated across his nerves if they were together for a long time, and it wasn't just her singing.

He didn't want to break her heart, but he wasn't that much of a loser to ruin his own life either.

"Can it wait?" He asked. "I have stuff to do."

"I'll help you."

No, no, don't use the look, don't use the…shit…

"I…I have to work on my Saix."

"I'll help you!"

"No!"

"Are you avoiding me?"

"Moonbay!" He threw his hands up in the air. "I need some space. Everyone's been following me around, especially that Rhyss woman."

"Oh she _has_, has she?"

Ooh, angry Moonbay. _Jealous_ Moonbay.

Not a good thing.

"She keeps asking me what I think is going on, and then I get headaches and stuff. I don't like it, and neither does she, I think I need some time off."

"Maybe you're sick?"

"No, I doubt that." He met her gaze and sighed, deciding to try a different track. "Have you noticed that Fiona's been acting a little strange?"

"Irvine, this is _Fiona_ we're talking about. An ancient Zoidian."

"Yeah, you have a point." But it still didn't explain how she sometimes looked at him. It was a look he'd seen when he was just starting out, and he'd only just mastered his CommandWolf. There was a guy who thought he was the best at everything, and once, Irvine had crossed him…that look…it said you are nothing. I don't care about you at all. A variant of the look had been bestowed upon him by Hiltz, but at least the guy _aimed_ at you. No…something about Fiona, since that final battle made his skin crawl.

"Moonbay? Irvine?" He jumped, turned around, and met with the red-eyed and vacant look of the resident pot-head. Okay, so Fiona wasn't into smoking cones, she had the look of one. That slight smile…

"Hi Fiona." Moonbay gave her a grin. "Van sure is working out those kids, huh?"

"I think he'll need to, if Prozen is back. Why can't he just go away?"

"I think everyone's wondering that, Fiona." Irvine muttered. "Look, ladies, I'm going to go and see if I can break into Thomas' shed again and see if he has any components I could…uh…borrow. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure…" He heard Moonbay dismiss him, and he certainly didn't miss the last remark about him being an arsehole. Irvine had remarkably good hearing.

He could feel Fiona's gaze burn into his back and fought the urge to run until he left the hanger floor and into the corridors of the Dynoc Base. _Then_ he began to run. He continued to run until he was outside on the perimeter of the base, lightly guarded with so many inside. So far all was quiet.

Almost quiet.

There was a jeep parked close to his final destination, and more interesting was that the door to the Thomas' shed was wide open. As he watched, something flew out and hit the ground – it looked like a mess of cables. Irvine drew his gun and padded closer, skin crawling…

Then something hit him and he was on the ground, a heavy weight across his chest, pinning him to the sand. His gun landed at the sandalled feet of…

"Irvine Sisco, I presume?" Asked the cultured tones of the man of the hour. 

Irvine stared as Prozen crouched and poked at the gun with a fragile finger. The man looked…transparent…and had the sensation of tiredness all around him, weakness.

"Uh…"

"Gunther, dear, if you could just take that gun away and out of Master Sisco's reach, I think we'd all feel safer…" That voice was familiar…

Prozen nodded, lifted it up, and Irvine tensed. _He's going to shoot me…isn't he?_

"The man's name was Randal Smiley, but you knew him as Derringer. He had hurt your pride, and you felt that the only way to get him back was to hurt his Zoid…it was a Stealth Viper…given to him by his father before he died…and something went wrong…he shot you…you shot him…But while you came out with a scar on your side, he died from the blood loss. You are a very lucky man."

"What the hell?"

Prozen stared at the gun in his hands, swaying slightly. "Your weapon told me. I'm afraid I've always been able to do that. I had drugs to suppress it. Was what I said true?"

"…Uh…yeah…"

"Oh dear. I was hoping I was making it up." Prozen stood up, unsteadily, and trotted to the car and dropped the gun onto the back seat. "Mrs Camford, can I sleep soon? I can't handle seeing imprints like this. It hurts too much."

"Of course you can dear. You'll be all right."

"Mrs Camford, as in _president_ Camford?!"

"_Ex_-president, Master Sisco. I'm going to get off you and you will be a nice man and be very quiet so we can go inside and talk about things." The weight gently lifted from his torso and he stood up, dusting off his pants. "…This is…"

"Come inside before anyone sees us." She took his hand and lightly pulled him into the coolness of the building, where, as his eyes adjusted, he could see Karl…Karl Shubaltz, the calm and sophisticated bastard with a bloody IronKong, glaring in Prozen's direction.

"I thought you promised not to leave my side, Gunther."

"Mrs Camford required my help." The minister replied and peered at him blearily. "Why are we here? I want to sleep, Karl. I _need_ to sleep. I'm so tired…"

"I know, just wait a while longer, okay?"

Irvine watched, amazed, as Karl reached out and stroked Prozen's hair. The minister purred in response and moved to his side, submissive.

"What do we do with the mercenary, children?" Asked Evelyn, giving Irvine a long hard look. There was a clank behind him as the door was closed, and a pair of bright green optical sensors seemed to see right through him. Ambient made a sighing sound and sat back on his haunches, as Irvine trembled and slid to his knees, trying not to wet himself.

"We tell him he's in deep shit." Karl replied. "Because something is digging into the base. Gunther?" A light shake. "Is Irvine infected?"

A sleepy hand touched Irvine's forehead, and Prozen looked into his eyes. "…No. He's not infected. But the taint of Rhyss is _everywhere_. Have you been suffering from migraines all of a sudden?" 

Deciding not to waste time, Irvine nodded. "Yeah?"

"You have a very strong mind that is set in it's ways. Rhyss was using a form of mind control that is born in every individual who accepts the Kaiser into them. A mental subliminal suggestion, a string of words, sinking deep into your mind without you knowing. Let me guess…I am dangerous, and must be destroyed at all costs?"

"How'd you know that?"

"The words are branded on your forebrain." Came the simple reply, coupled with a yawn. "But you are a stubborn person. I think we can trust him. He reeks of suspicion and fear…someone like that will be picked up and killed by the Reapers." 

Evelyn sighed. "We can't have that. They have enough innocent blood on their hands. Okay Irvine, you are going to sit down and be very quiet, listen to what we have to say, and then make your own judgment. Should you decide to follow us, but with the knowledge that you're going to betray us for the money, Gunther here will know, and probably short-circuit you. He's already done it to two men who tried to catch us at the motel. It wasn't pretty, but it proves you shouldn't try and wake him up without just cause. Will you listen?" 

"Okay, guess I don't have a choice. Is it okay if I ask why are you here?"

Karl grinned. "Last place anybody will look. You're going to be a good boy and be quiet about all of this, because last night my brother and Raven were almost killed by a group of men using the latest in military hardware. They didn't get too far, seeing as we had a friend in a high place who took care of most of it."

Irvine's lilac eyes widened. "That attack…!"

"You heard about it?" Evelyn asked, sharply.

He felt Ambient at his back, laying his talons on his shoulders and growling softly. "Yeah…everyone's saying it was _him_." 

"Gunther was asleep. He's been sleeping since five in the afternoon yesterday after fixing Raven up to the best of his abilities and woke me up at five this morning. Do _not_ ask." Karl gave Prozen another…affectionate…glance. "We stayed in a motel that night. The house…well, the kitchen anyway, was totalled."

"Then what about Raven? And Thomas?" Irvine asked. 

"Still at the motel." Karl patted his shoulder. "You're a good man, Irvine. I know you are. Are the Red Sun here?"

"A couple of officers…why?"

"They're not human. They're ancient Zoidians, who have been asleep for many, many years. And do you know why? Because they want to keep Zi for themselves. The Zoidians were not as beautiful and as amazing as we all thought they were…"

"Well, Hiltz was proof of that." Ooh, wrong thing to say. Prozen hissed quietly, his eyes narrowing, and Irvine felt a sharp pain register in both his back and his shoulders – Ambient's talons dug deeply into his skin. "I, uh…shit!"

"They are Reapers. Killers." Prozen's voice was different, low, soft, dangerous. "They slept because I evaded them as a child. People…were kind enough…to take pity on the pilot of the DeathSaurer, and hide him away. Then, many years later, I awoke to a world that was vastly different from the world I had once known. Do you know why the desert seems to expand? The Zoidians sucked all life out of Zi. Out of my people. The Red Sun came and burned innocents to the ground, and took lives to create their machines of war." His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the shed; he seemed to wrap the shadows around himself. "The Reapers slept, and now they are awake again, and slowly spreading themselves and their poison into the minds of man. Feel lucky you escaped because of your arrogance."

"Yeah? Yeah? Then why the hell didn't you say this when you were in power you idiot!?"

"Because, _moron_, I have been _drugged_ since I was _ten years old_! Everything I can do now was _suppressed_ by paranoid and frightened _humans_!"

"Aww, don't tell me, _you're_ a Zoidian too?"

"_No_! I am _Rare Hertz_! I will _not_ stand for this! I'm _tired_, I'm _weak_ and I'm _hungry_! I've been pushed around for a very long time and I need to rest. Stop being a pain in the arse, Irvine. I don't need this."

"Yeah, well neither do I." Irvine looked away; still surprised at the outburst he'd received. It didn't seem true, but at the same time, there was something vastly different about the minister. He always seemed to stand out from the surroundings, and now, he could see it up close, it was quite astounding. The hairs on the back of his neck were stiff, not through fear, but through the pent up energy in the air. As Prozen moved back to Karl's side to nuzzle into his arms, he felt the energy dissipate.

_Wow, piss him off and the lights flicker. That's some party trick._

"So you two think that his story is true?"

Karl and Evelyn exchanged glances.

"…Oh dear…"

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this…" 

Prozen extended a hand and the light bulb above Irvine began to glow brightly. "Rare Hertz were the proverbial life force of Zi. They gave their energy freely, powered ZoidEVE…and therefore, Zoids. They were greatly desired because of their innate ability to channel and produce free and seemingly endless energy. If all the Hertz should die, so too would EVE. The Zoidians longed for EVE, so they stole her from her guardians. Our war was terrible, so many died, and finally we had the upper hand, when the DeathSaurer was born…and I…was it's pilot. My father, and the willing sacrifice of my family's lives created her. The Zoidians caught me, tortured me for years, until at last my Zoid freed me and I took as many lives as they had taken from us. But I was not strong enough. The Zoidians…had done something to me. I almost died…but some of our forces managed to rescue me in time to put me to sleep. Just as Fiona slept. When I awoke, I seemed okay…until the humans dampened my mind, and made me one of them. The Dark Kaiser…the program of destruction of all life except Zoidians was started once more, only…instead of inside their Reapers, their police force…it was inside me."

"The DeathSaurer…you found it because it was yours…?"

"Yes. Just as all those ruins attracted me through the suppressed memories of the past. But it is also in another. Alisi Lynette. I was the prototype." Prozen winced. "If I die, ZoidEVE dies with me. But if the Dark Kaiser is re-created…and…_perfected_…then there will be no need for me anymore…but…"

"But?"

Those crimson eyes closed for a minute. "Nothing."

_He's lying._

"Absolute truth minister, or I squeal."

"I don't know yet…something to do with making Zoids. Ambient sealed my memories from Dark Kaiser, and when I resurrected him, he returned them to me and now remains as my guardian."

"Yeah, I was wondering how he was alive again." Irvine looked up at the organoid above him. "So you three are hiding out here?"

"Yes."

"And it was my luck that I wandered into you?"

"Oh yes."

"So…for a small fee…I'll keep it quiet."

"Fair enough. May I ask why?" Evelyn asked. 

"Because. Those Red Sun guys are taking honest jobs from people like me. And you _know_ how I like to stick up for the little guy."

Karl rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Sure. Fine. Just keep your mouth shut or Ambient will tear you apart. I don't think Gunther could stop him either."

"I can see this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful…business…deal…"

"Just shut up and find us some spare apartments."

~ to be continued. 

Bweeee~~ More author's notes: I apologise in that I'm skipping around the timeline a bit, where you get no sense of real day and night. This is around midday/early afternoon. Then one more day, and during the night…well…lots of bad things…I thought I had to rewrite this chapter because the last one was slotted in after it was written. But when I read over the text here, I realised Prozen hadn't really said anything to anyone, and this quick and compact "this is what I am, deal with it Irvine" thing sort of worked. The more I write this story, the more I realise that this is completely fanciful. Ah well. I suppose it's more refreshing then the normal stuff you've been reading. Van/Raven, Van/Irvine, Van/Fiona, Van/himself, Van/Zeke, Raven/Rhyss, Raven/Karl, Rhyss/Specula, Moonbay/Irvine, Moonbay/Doctor D-

_Hiltz: Okay, stop. You knew the moment you put down the thing about Van and himself that you were asking for trouble._

_Prozen: *That really wide happy grin he does when he thinks you're not looking* You forgot the Thomas/Zeke pairing ^^_

_Hiltz: *flatly* Don't encourage her, love. She can dig her own grave by herself. The rabid fangirls will destroy her in due time. Her sanity is already fragile. She's writing THIS for Chrissakes. _


	18. 17 You like me for me?

_Nao, I am not responsible for any destruction of your computer should you vent your frustration with it as to the slowness of this scene. This is a lead up, I repeat, a lead up to Raven and Thomas…getting it on._

Chapter 17: You like me for me?

Raven awoke slowly and looked at the ceiling, trying to gather up thoughts of the night before. He'd passed out soon after O'Connell left. His whole body hurt…

"Graargh."

"Yeah, I think she's ugly too."

Raven's ears pricked as the tones of his organoid Shadow and the curly haired lieutenant Thomas floated over him. He carefully sat up; a little embarrassed by the fact he wore no shirt. His fingers touched the wadding attached to his side and he stared at his left arm and how bruised it was…the long white scar…No it wasn't just a scar. Last night there had been huge shards of glass embedded into his body as he flung his arms up to protect his…

_…Thomas…_

…face as the windows shattered. He'd tried to get out of the way, but he'd been powerless, slipping into the lull of exhaustion from lack of blood. Shock had started to set in, and Thomas…dear Thomas…had tried to protect him. A small cry choked from the back of his throat. They were on opposite sides, yet, still…!

_No, what am I thinking? He loves me? Not possible, nobody wants Raven. Maybe for a night or two, to bed with, but not forever. No one wants to _protect_ the Raven because the Raven is _alone_…_

Hurt by this, he bit his knuckle in an effort not to cry out with grief. The only time he had not been alone was hiding at Prozen's side. But he did not desire the love of a father right now, he wanted the love of a partner, and, without meaning to, he had fallen in love with Thomas. This wasn't physical desire; it was something else, a delight in listening to him, in watching him. His presence was a comfort; he was light when all was dark.

How could Fiona _not_ love a man like him?

In fact, how could _no one_ love a man like Thomas Shubaltz?

And how could anyone love Raven Prozen?

The revelation left him shivering. He looked around the little room, two beds and a dresser. The voice and growls were coming in from the next room, where there was a living area and a kitchenette. A grubby motel…

Raven felt like death. He wanted to die for real this time, so great was his despair. He hung his head and buried his face in his hands. How could anyone in their heart see him for what he was, and forgive him for the crimes he had committed? How?

There was a tap at the door. "Raven?"

His heart skipped a beat. "Thomas."

"I'm glad to see you're awake!" He smiled and offered a glass of water. "I had no idea that Shadow had such a great knowledge of soap operas. We've been watching TV since I got back from getting some supplies. I didn't know what you liked, but Shadow informed me you'd had enough of two-minute noodles. This was kind of a problem, because that's all I ever have time to eat."

Raven couldn't help but smile. "Yeah?" He asked, still looking down at the manky carpet beneath him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have intruded." Thomas stuttered. "You don't need to hear my life story."

Raven's heart sank like a stone, and in his minds eye, he saw Thomas turn away, and desperately flailed for a way to bring him back. "Noodles. Noodles! Geez, when I was on the road, all I ever had was two-minute noodles. I know how it is." He took a breath and looked Thomas squarely in the eye. "And I'm pretty sure noodles aren't your life story."

"Raven! You…you're crying!"

"No I'm not…"

"You are! Does it hurt bad? Minister Prozen did the best he could…he was ever so good at it…" His warm hands touched Raven's cold shoulders and Raven let himself slump forward, with a sob. "I'm sure I picked up some Panadol and stuff…Please…Raven…?"

Raven shook his head, no; Panadol would not make the pain go away. He looked up again, his lavender eyes swimming in a sea of tears. "How can you just stand there? How can you look at me without some revulsion? I'm a murderer, man, get away from me!"

"Why?"

"I…I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Why?"

_Just say it. It doesn't matter what he says or thinks of you, because according to the books, we're all going to die anyway._ "Because…because you're so innocent and…I don't want you to get corrupted. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I…thank you." Replied Thomas, surprised.

"Why don't you hate me?" He asked finally. Shadow nosed into the room and made the odd squeaking noise he only ever made when he was happy. It was shortly followed by a 'narf'.

"I have no reasons to hate you, Raven. If you don't mind me saying, I like it when you're around. I don't suppose you'd notice, but I haven't stuttered once or messed anything up when you're with me."

"Huh?"

"I can't talk to people. I've always found it so easy to work with my machines and stuff, because they don't laugh at me when I screw up. You know?"

"Yeah. I know that feeling." Raven smiled, faintly.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Rhyss was a shocker for pointing out my mistakes to me. That woman wants everything to be perfect."

"She looks like someone who would do that." Thomas caught his gaze for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay? You went into shock after we were saved, and I was ever so worried." He knelt down in front of Raven, smiling like a child. "You should have seen what happened next! The minister woke up, and, and came down to the living area. He wasn't too happy about it, but when he saw what had happened to you, he was ever so worried. He said he couldn't loose you at all! He seemed very different. I think Ambient…restored his memories."

"He really said that about me?"

"Yeah! When Karl asked about it later on, when he was awake again and we were here, do you know what he said? He said the only reason he put you in Zoid battles was the fact he knew you needed freedom to do what you wanted…and even if he got worried he knew that you were really good at piloting, so he wasn't afraid that you'd get hurt and stuff. He said that when Van blew up your Zoid, it must have been the last straw for him, and he just gave up and let the Dark Kaiser take over."

"The Dark Kaiser…" Raven looked at his hands. "I…I feel so angry because I can't help him. I didn't help him when he needed me…"

Thomas patted his leg, gently, sending tingles up Raven's spine. "And what could you do? You were a child, what were you supposed to do? It's okay. And when you were older, you were concerned with the stuff going on." He paused for a moment. "May I ask a question? A rather odd one? You may know the answer, because you've been out in the world more than I have."

"Go ahead."

He licked his lips. "Is it wrong or strange for a man who once loved a woman to like a man now?"

"I don't know. Individual cases." Raven said softly. All he wanted was to curl up in Thomas' arms.

"Why do you hate everybody?"

"Because nobody loves me." Raven replied. "Everybody's scared of me."

"I'm not." Thomas stood up. "I don't hate you. I'm not scared of you. Scared of what you might do to _other_ people, but these last few days have been quite amazing for me."  
"I'll admit that the pain is less when you're around." Raven replied. "I don't want to hurt anyone. Because of what may have been."

"I don't understand…"

Raven shook his head. "Don't worry, Thomas."

"But I _want_ to worry. I was so angry when they did what they did to you. They knew you were a fighter, so they took you out first. There were other windows and they didn't go through them. I actually hit someone. Don't look at me like that, I don't hurt anybody, even if they drive me up the wall. Van especially. Do you know how many times I've had to stop myself before I deck him one? He'd beat me of course."

"Oh, I don't know. I wish I had that kind of control…" Raven closed his eyes. "Why did you ask about the girl-guy-guy thing?"

"Because I think I'm falling in love with you."

Silence.

Raven's eyes widened and he looked Thomas square in the face. The blond blushed and looked away. "When I was trying to court Fiona, I…I had some help from MarieAnn, the royal consort."

"_That_ pip-squeak?" The image of the snotty little brat in a pink dress and pigtails brought back pleasurable memories of his youth, when he'd been able to swat her like the annoying bug she was. He could to, seeing as Prozen was his 'father'. It had annoyed her parents no end, but he'd been able to knock her down a peg or two when she got too big for her little pink shoes. Of course, you could never go too far, or else…

"Yes. And she tried to help me win her over. But at last I put my foot down and told her that the right time to ask Fiona to…to go out with me…would be the time when I didn't care what her answer was. When I knew I had grown up enough to love and let go because that's how much I cared." Their eyes locked again. "And then I met you, and I realised why I'd been so scared and tongue tied. Fiona's beautiful, but that beauty has no _soul_. In my heart…I'm there. Old enough, now…and…that's why I'm not worried about what you think of me or anything else. I…yes, I love you."

Those three little words made something snap inside Raven's heart. "You…you do?" He asked hoarsely.

"Please don't laugh at me!"

"Laugh? Why would I laugh?" Raven began to shake with hysteria. "This week has been fucking fantastic. I unearth amazing conspiracies in the government, I find my dad…and now I have you proclaiming love to me."

"Uh oh, you're mad at me." The blond lieutenant muttered, looking down at his lap.

Raven leaned forward and gentle touched Thomas' face, and nose-to-nose, he let himself sink into the warm green depths of his eyes. "I could never be mad at you."

The kiss was light. Thomas jerked back in surprise, and Raven let go. 

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No." Thomas blushed.

"Tell me if I do anything wrong. If I hurt you in any way. Please." Came the whisper.

"What are you planning?"

"What do you want me to do?" Raven countered, grinning. 

Thomas looked down at his lap. "Uh…I don't…actually know…"

"I do. Get up here. I want someone to hold me, because right now I'm not at my best."

Hesitantly, Thomas sat beside him, and they kissed. It was a little clumsy, Raven felt, but then Thomas had probably never kissed anyone before, apart from the occasional chaste kiss to a parent or sibling, and of course, girl's hands. He couldn't stop himself. It wasn't the physical act of love he wanted; he just needed to be close to Thomas, to hear his heartbeat and the warmth and security of his arms around him. 

Pushing him down onto the bed, Raven lay against his chest, nuzzling into chest. Thomas slid his arms around him and they lay there, silent for a moment, just enjoying it.

"I've been running from you since the day I met you." Thomas murmured. "I just didn't want to admit to myself that I liked a guy."

"Nothing wrong with it." Raven raised his head, his brow tightening slightly with pain of his wounds and a reminder. "I hope Gunther is okay."

"My brother will take care of him." Thomas replied, running his fingers through Raven's dark hair.

Raven submitted to the gentle caresses. _That's what I'm worried about…_

~ to be continued. 


	19. 18 I don't pay for sanity

_Hmm, I'm starting to wonder if I can pull this off…__Blayze Iskillion Firestorm, Irvine won't die. While he plays a small role in Reaper, I assure you, he may take centre stage in the sequel I'm planning, **Cantus** (look it up, kids, and link it to the name I've dropped several times…Rhyss said it…come on…think hard…) with Prozen and Hiltz up to their old tricks. _

_Anyway, Hiltz has finally lost it…or has he?_

Chapter 18: I don't pay for sanity

Rhyss watched as the sleeper rested, his battle at last over.

Hiltz' physical appearance had not changed all that much. His skin was paler, seeing as his circulation was pulled inwards to feed his Mern. On his forehead was a perfect circle of red, the symbol of the Red Sun. In his former existence, he had never earned any marks to get him a place in society, no, Hiltz was too smart for that. He had always been the kind of person who would slip in and out of somewhere unnoticed…after all, throughout the years of being in the Guylos government, hadn't Minister Prozen been visited by him?

She felt bad about that. That showed a real bond between the two. Hiltz was…different…from other men. He never pressured someone he cared about into something. The only time he had was because Dark Kaiser was whispering sweet poison into his ears. The both of them were as evil as hell, but that didn't mean their love was as depraved. Quite the opposite in fact. If anything, they were a pair of chaste church children. No sex before marriage sort of thing.

Disgusting!

He stirred and stretched like a cat, yawning tiredly as he awoke and his shaggy red curls framing his face in such an adorable way, Rhyss couldn't help smiling. Hiltz…when not angry with something and not being _inventively_ naughty was a very nice person. But seeing as mischief was his proverbial middle name, this was a rarity. 

"Good afternoon. Or is it evening?"

"…? Evening? How long have I slept?"

"You were out like a light yesterday. Payne carried you down to the Cells himself…he made sure you went through doorways without hitting your feet or your head this time. I suppose he thinks you're worth it now."

"I was wondering why my head felt so bad the other day. Is it always this noisy?"

"You're picking up the voices of the humans outside. It's background noise, you'll get used to it."

"Fine. I feel like shit. Anything to eat? I could murder something right now if it meant I could get a feed."

"Dinner's already been served, so you've missed out. I could probably find you something, though. Hiltz…?"

"What? Does Payne need me?"

Rhyss was shocked. He really _had_ crossed over. He stared, smiling at her, his dark eyes cold. There was nothing inside his mind of any concern to Prozen at all, just a cold willingness to serve, and serve well. All hope of redemption flew out of her mind and she sagged slightly. "Well, not exactly. He's briefing people about the retrieval of Lynette, and…"

"We'll stop by the kitchens, grab some grub, and go and see the boss."

"Grab some…grub?"

"Human term. Get something to eat. Derived from the fact that grubs were once a food source. 'Grab some grub'. Guylos slang, actually. Shall we go?" He stood up, unsteadily, and she realised he'd been stripped naked of his former clothes. She blushed and looked away.

"Hiltz!"

"What? Oh. Shit." She heard the rustle of the blanket he'd been curled up under and when she turned around he had it around his waist. "Sorry about that. I remember now, I was overheating, I needed to get cool…so I…uh…"

"Yes. Fine." She tried to vanish the image of him from her mind. It wasn't easy. _You're a lucky man, Gunther. I like girls, and he's turning _me_ on!_ "I actually bought you some clothing down from the stores. I _think_ this was yours…"

"Yes, that's definitely mine." Hiltz grinned as he touched the fabric. "I remember last time I was here, visiting our prey."

"Prey?"

"The Hertz."

"Oh." Rhyss said softly, and sadly.

She turned her back as he dressed and bit her lip.

She'd enjoyed hanging out with humans. They were okay in an odd sense. It would be sad to see them destroyed. But worse of all was the fact that she was starting to think differently. She had never liked Payne. When he was a soldier, he was nasty, now he was nasty in all sorts of different ways. She hated being used for sex, even if it was good, and in truth, if he did it again, she was going to hurt him. Badly. She wished now, she had never helped in catching Gunther in the first place.

But, countered a little voice in her mind, Specula's, you knew what you were getting in to. You knew what was going to happen.

Dark Kaiser was fine in every sense…apart from the fact it had no idea how to construct a Zoid. She hoped that Payne knew that. Because she was pretty sure that a broken Hertz couldn't do it either. They'd be signing their own death certificates if they broke Prozen without perfecting the program first. Then they could use Lynette to produce another body for it. It would be alive this time, not using the body of its test host.

She wanted the Zoidians to be in power.

But now she wanted to see how the other half lived.

Would the humans be so welcoming if they knew? If they knew how many people she had killed? Nicolai did not know…if he had, he would not have been so eager to protect her. Prozen probably did, that was why he'd been so desperate to catch her all those years ago.

She gripped the wall and hung her head. Oh yes, she knew why. It had been her first Hunt when he had been captured, cowering in the corner of the lift. The female who had died protecting him had basically self-destructed on the gangway into the main core of the city, the vast spire that hung downwards from the roof where all of the Rare Hertz were held. Knocking out the bridge had been a stroke of genius on the female's part, but it had been Specula who got her over to the other side, along with a couple of other rookies who had hung back with their tutors. Killing the attendants had been wonderful, such a fascinatingly delightful task, as they were not defenceless, no, fourteen year old Rhyss had killed the heathens from seven years of age. Watching them splutter and scream with pain, sheer poetry in motion…

He probably remembered, somewhere in the recesses of his mind the time he had been dragged from the tiny room and held down for classification. Then tied up and taken back to stasis…

He remembered.

And a few months later when she had found him again, and found Hiltz…the child who was drawn to him…

How could a Mern destroy that much emotion in a man's heart? It had taken so long to crush Hiltz' spirit, make him think humanity was nothing.  Turning and twisting him more and more…now she regretted it immensely…his beauty was tarnished by this…evil.

A sudden sharp pain stabbed at her heart, and she felt Specula's simple thoughts again. You think he is evil? Then what does that make you? 

"Shut up." She said, bitterly.

"What?"

"Nothing." She muttered. "Specula was being stupid."

"Oh?" Hiltz reappeared, dressed in a pair of black pants, and a sleeveless tunic of a rich blood red that was zipped up almost to the chin. Resting like a pendant around his neck was the silver ring used to move the zipper up and down, and encircling his hips were a pair of wide, well made belts. All of it fit him snugly, showing the curves of his muscles, and making him seem that much more of a handsome rogue. Except his eyes.

The man had lost his soul.

What you're feeling is guilt, Rhyss. Specula intoned.

Ignoring her organoid, she smiled at Hiltz. "Looks good."

"I know. That's why I'm wearing it." He knelt down and began to fix up the laces of his calf-length boots, then straightened again and caught the two-tone grey overcoat she threw at him. It was cut past his knees, but the sides were cut to come midway up his thighs. He _did_ look good. In fact, he was oozing sexuality that could be felt by people in the next room.

A couple of girls and a guy poked their heads around the door, and when Hiltz gave them a grin, two of them swooned.

"Shall we go then?"

"I suppose so."

Hiltz fell into step slightly behind her, showing his status and sighed. "So fill me in. What's the deal with Lynette?"

"Payne's had enough of square-dancing with President Hermann and playing the good little soldier. An attack has been planned on the Dynoc Base, seeing as that is where she is…of course, we will have problems with the pilots there, seeing as it is the headquarters of the Guardian Force, but we've infiltrated it already…why are you grinning?"

"I've done it before. Bloody easy. Go on."

"All right…The DiBison has disappeared, though one of spies located it on the safety of a town in Imperial territory…parked right beside a certain GenoBreaker…"

"Oh, poor Rhyss."

"I never loved him."

"Sure you didn't." Hiltz stopped and put his hands on his hips, his smirk crueller than usual. "You didn't want to fuck him so hard his brains would fall out."

"You're starting to sound like Payne."

"Am I?" He stepped forward, disturbingly close to her, his breath warm on her face as she looked up on him, the unmistakeable tang of testosterone coupled with the scent of Hiltz-ness making her sweat. "Am I _really_?"

"Don't." 

He leant a little closer, and she saw something flicker in his eyes. Something she could not sense, something to fast to catch. "Sure. Fine. Whatever."

"That's better. I didn't want to hurt you, Hiltz. Look…we're short of Zoids. Since Payne knows you're a pretty big player in all of this, he's saving the best 'till last…"

"Meaning? I have to ride with him?"

"No, of course not. Do you think he would risk his life to get Lynette when he's the only one who can unlock her dirty little secret? I may have prodded the lock, but Payne's the one who knows what he's doing. What I mean is, that we have something you may like…"

They began to walk again, down corridors that were not familiar to Rhyss at all in terms of history, but she sensed Hiltz looking around. She wondered if he was glossing over the memories of his past, trying to stop them from coming back. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but as they went through the entrance hall, and passed the great windows facing the sun, he stopped and murmured something about roses. Then he padded after her, shaking his head, and Rhyss' heart sank lower.

They reached the door a few rooms and entryways later, and then it was a short walk down a few steps down to where Payne was waiting.

Gone was the beautiful architecture, here was steel, metal walkways, consoles and lights. It reminded her somewhat of Hertz and human technology, all mashed together. In fact, that's what it was – why Prozen had installed a Zoid manufacturing plant under his home she had no idea. 

"Finally." Payne grunted. "What took you so fucking long?"

"We took the scenic route." Said Rhyss.

"In other words, we got lost." Hiltz countered.

Payne grinned and looked the red head up and down. "Well my boy, aren't we a handsome lady-killer?"

"I prefer Hertz, boss." Hiltz replied, his teeth white in his smile. Predatory.

"We don't want him dead, half-breed."

"Aww, but that's half the _fun_."

Payne laughed and patted him on the back, hard. "You'll go far, half-breed." He clicked his fingers and some of the assembled Reapers moved aside, revealing an old woman held by a pair of strong Reapers. Her face was lined with age, her almost bone white skin wrinkled, and grey. And her eyes, pale pink, lack of energy an easy thing to identify. Beneath her left eye was a single arrowhead, the mark of a Rare Hertz. She glanced up, flinching under Payne's glare, but when her own gaze fell on Hiltz, there was an element of hope in her face.

"…Sierra?" She whispered.

"Do I know you, love?" He asked. Rhyss heard something else in that sentence, something that was…different.

"Hiltz Sierra!" She gasped, and stared at Payne. "What have you _done_, Zoidian?"

"Shut up, bitch." Payne snapped. "Hiltz, this is Yora. She was born to a pair of Hertz in the barracks…looks like they can get busy even in danger! Anyway, we raised her good and proper, problem is, she's old and stupid now. They don't live forever. She's been able to conjure up some pretty nice Zoids in the past, but unfortunately, she can't make our army. Your man can."

"…No! No! I won't! I won't help you, horrible man! Winter…Winter will stop you! Sierra, tell him!"

Rhyss stared at the woman.

"Who are you, Rare Hertz?" Hiltz asked.

The female managed to pull away from her captors, and bowed. "…Rare Hertz Yora. Born to the Irundai clan…You are…Hiltz Sierra…are you not?"

"Yes, I am he."

"…Please…help me…This man…" She pointed at Payne's leering form. "…he is…evil. Zoidians kept some of us alive…but he takes everything…"

"I know. And I'm afraid I do as well."

She cowered. "But you…!!"

Hiltz leaned closer and spoke to the female, Rhyss couldn't hear what he said, but when he moved back he pushed her to the ground and held her there under his boot. "Into the machine."

The female nodded and was released, and then moved forward, hobbling a little from old injuries. She wore rags, but Rhyss could see how destroyed her body was beneath it, how weak she was. Yora stood on the little raised platform and a moment later was encased in glass as it slid up to greet a similar installation in the ceiling. A strange fluid tinged a faint blue filled the cylinder, but she didn't struggle, instead, as her body was buoyed upwards, she curled into the foetal position.

"Initiate the second sequence." Payne barked. One of the technicians pressed a button or two, and from the top and bottom of the cylinder a number of mechanical arms came down and positioned themselves around the Yora's hunched form. "Okay, begin the construction sequence."

The tips of the arms glowed, and the glow crawled over Yora until she could no longer be seen. To their left, the other half of the machine swung into action, the vast pod hanging over a pool of coolant large enough to hold a DeathStinger and a half powering up. Lightning crackled up and down it's length and finally it centred itself, becoming a tiny orb. That orb grew, becoming a Zoid core, which then flared and allowed the newborn Zoid to grow around it…

Rhyss stared, fascinated. So _this_ was how it was done! She could sense Yora's growing weakness, but at the same time the rising strength of the Zoid. It continued to grow and expand, coloured completely white and there was a flicker from Yora as she returned back to her original form, only now she just…floated. The casing around the Zoid opened, dropping it into the coolant, and the surface began to _boil_…

The newborn was afraid, unsure…

Ignored by the Reapers, the Rare Hertz died quietly, with a final whisper of redemption for the red-head's soul, as the coolant heaved and spluttered as the newborn was released.

Standing as new, glowing faintly at its joints was a perfect DarkSpiner.

Hiltz grinned, stepped forward and patting it's closest talon he turned to Payne.

"So boss, does it come in red?"

~ to be continued

By the way, the whole willingness to serve? I never said who now, did I?!

In case you didn't pick up, yes, Hiltz has Brad's coat from NC0. Is it the same one? I don't know, maybe Brad nicked it. I don't care what anyone says and how many years have passed from CC/GF to NC0, Brad does not look a thing like Moonbay and Irvine. Jack Sisco maybe, that's why I gave Irvine that last name, but not Brad. Just because Irvine and Van knew each other doesn't mean that their proverbial kids or grandkids would work on the same team. And who says Bit is Van's descendant? I wish people would stop saying that, it is so very annoying. We're not told. We don't know.

_Besides, if you ask me, Brad looks like Hiltz. *Runs away giggling*_


	20. 19 I want to know who I am

If this chapter sounds weird, I'm sorry. Prozen is VERY OOC, but I wanted to have a little bit of bonding with Evelyn, for reasons yet unknown (just more conflict, that's all) and yeah…*curls up to sleep some more* Tafe was really bad today…my computer is screwed up…DreamWeaver doesn't want to know about Flash stuff…the scanner won't work…and Gary won't teach us Illustrator yet…and I'm so tired…;_;

Chapter 19: I want to know who I am

He resurfaced from the red again, somewhat reluctantly, but the need to drink was too strong. His head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton wool, and he was slowly being cooked over a fire…

There was a grunt, and he felt something touch his shoulder. Prozen looked up, startled and relaxed as Ambient nuzzled him.

"Ambient…"

The organoid whimpered then looked meaningfully at the bed, then back at Prozen. He sighed and sat up, tucking his legs beneath him and Ambient trilled with delight, hopped onto the bed (which creaked dangerously) and curled up. His optical units dimmed, and from the crimson metal came the hum of his purring. Prozen sighed, slid out of bed and looked out the low set window that faced one of the parade grounds, where he could see squadrons of new Guardian Force members lining up and being spoken to by their superiors. 

He fiddled with the window, slid it open and breathed in the air outside, unbearably hot, but at least it was an honest heat, and not humid. He felt his knees buckle and he slid down the side of the wall and to the floor.

_I can't take that much more of this. I don't know what's wrong…I'm so scared…_

He hated being afraid. It seemed so weak. 

But there was another problem - with this weird fever came the need to rest. As he waited for his heart to stop hammering, he stood up again and made his way to the little bathroom tacked onto the apartment, do attend to certain needs, including an icy shower, and as much of it as he could drink. 

It didn't seem to have any effect on his thirst.  

Ambient cocked his head to the side when he heard the toilet flush and the sound of water running again. When his master's friend appeared again, he seemed…wet. Very wet. And very naked.

"Ambient, were are my clothes?" He asked, tiredly, scratching the organoid's chin.

"Growlf!" Hard to tell him that the blond human had taken them and left him only a few things.

There was a tap at the door and Prozen growled – something Ambient approved of, he had a _good_ growl there – and ducked back into the bathroom and closed the door.

Ambient nuzzled the door, gave a few questioning growls, and then backed off as it opened, and Evelyn poked her head around the door. The organoid knew the old lady. She was an all right in her own way – back when his master and his friend had smelt of corruption, he had been asked to capture her. That had been fun – but now she was also classified as a friend. Of course, the organoid knew, not the kind of friend the other one was.

Evelyn smiled at him, and in a no-nonsense way patted his head. Not too many people had the guts to do that to him. Ambient couldn't help it, he wagged his tail.

"Ambient, you affection slut." Came the mutter from the bathroom.

"I'm glad to see you're awake." She called out. "I found some things for you – the others were too blood stained."

"Oh." The door opened a crack and a pale hand reached out tentatively. Evelyn smiled and dangled the garments above it, and he grabbed them. The door closed and there was a muffled thanks.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel like shit…"

"I'd like to check your temperature again." She asked, and there was a thump for an answer. "Gunther? Are you alright?" She tapped at the door, but there was no response except for a quiet sigh.

"Mrs Camford…Um…could you please help me…?"

She carefully opened the door and found him leaning dejectedly against the shower, the creased shirt in his hands twisted with worry. His pale face was filled with worry and fear, but most of all exhaustion. Evelyn gently led him out and sat him down on the bed.

"Poor child, come here…" She untangled it carefully, and when she had finished and looked up at him; his face was the picture of depression. "It's okay. I'm sure you'll get better soon. It's always hard to do things when you're sick."

"I don't think I _am_ sick."

"What?" She asked, helping him get into it. "What on Zi do you mean?"

"It's like I knew this was going to happen, and…I…The reason I feel so afraid is because I'm here. Anyone can come in here and find me…they'll kill me. I know…I know it's only a little while longer."

"A little while until what?"

"The big blank space in my head." Prozen sighed, fumbling with the buttons but gave up. "My co-ordination skills are shot to hell. I hate this."

Evelyn watched him for a moment, then drew him into an honest hug. He tensed for a moment but then relaxed into her arms, nuzzling into her shoulder. "Shh. It's going to be okay." She let him go and he stared into space for a moment. "I need to ask you something…why did you call me mother? Back at the hearing?"

Snapping out of his trance, Prozen stared at her. "…Mother? The hearing? I…I must have been dreaming or something. I don't have very many memories at all of my mother…just a blurred person looking down at me. She died a few days after I was born."

"Poor thing."

"Yeah." Prozen sighed and allowed himself to by coerced into giving Ambient another scratch. "But then, it was her own decision to go and see the Zoidians about peace."

Evelyn flinched. "I _see_."

"Ambient, access Memory data file of the subject Silver Drachnia." Prozen said suddenly. Ambient sat back, his optical sensors dimming. "I'm looking for a living saved Memory of him. Any of them. Probably when he wasn't working so much…when he was with me…" Prozen closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "When he was showing me his Konig Wolf." Ambient stood up and half turned away, and the two were suddenly ghosts in a thick and moving world of stone, metal and crystal. In front of them, leaning on a delicate looking wire handrail, was a man that was a shade taller than Prozen himself, and wavy hair to his shoulders. It was white, with a tiny plait through it. There was a boy on his tiptoes peering at the Zoid in front of them.

Evelyn was lost and confused. This was so _real_. She could hear voices, but strangly, she could not smell the Zoid or the machinery around her. People passed through her as she stood up and walked across the perforated metal catwalk to Silver's side.

"So what do you think of him, Winter?"

"He's a big wolf, daddy." Came the simple reply. Evelyn knelt down to look at the tiny child. His hair was cut to his shoulders, and was styled in such a way that it framed his face, and hid his ears. But it did not hide his markings, two red arrowheads beneath his left eye. "Is he going to _really_ stop the naughty people?"

"We hope so." Silver was handsome. Very handsome. He only had one mark under his eye, however, and the resemblance was striking. "But I think it's time for bed, young man."

"Daaaad!" The boy, Winter, pouted and looked away, but his father lifted him up into his arms and hugged him tightly. Evelyn stood up again, and was tempted to reach out and touch them. She watched Silver seemed to tremble, and the child reached up to touch his face. Silver moved down, as if to kiss his son's face, and the image froze. The background faded, leaving the man standing there, partially blurred into the wall. Prozen joined her at his side and he walked around the form as best he could, as if looking for something.

"What was he going to do to you?"

"I don't remember what happened next, which is why Ambient can't show it to you. But that's him. That's my father."

"He's…I…I had such a wonderful feeling about him…"

"I remember that people liked him because of that. It was something about us…something important. As if he gave love and happiness to everyone who met him. I think he did."

"Even in your memories…"

"Yes. Memories were something we excelled in. Their creation…an almost living hologram…infuriated the Zoidians. They kept us comfort in times of need and a helpful piece of advice…" Prozen coughed suddenly, and very violently. He slid to his knees, covering his mouth until at last the horrible convulsions had ceased. There was blood on his hands.

"Oh my…"

"I'm okay, I'm okay…" Prozen coughed again, and allowed himself to be helped up. Evelyn held him tightly, and he looked down at her, sniffed and closed his eyes. "…Mrs Camford…Evelyn…I'm afraid. Very afraid."

"Of what?" She asked, concerned. The projected image of Silver vanished and Ambient whined. 

"…Of being found. I can…feel them all around me. The Reapers. They're sniffing for me. Looking hard. I wish they weren't. I don't know why they want to find me, Van and the others destroyed the DeathSaurer. There is only one of me. I'm also branded an outcast, so little help from anyone there. I still don't know what am I…properly I mean…what's a Hertz? What does it do? What do I do? Why am I sick? Why is Karl acting so weird, and why isn't Hiltz here?" he stopped, needed to breathe. "I can't handle this."

"No one can handle anything when they're this sick." She stroked his head and he looked down at his feet.

"I want…I want to go home."

"I know…I know…"

"Evelyn…I need to ask you something. Something…important."

"Of course. What is it?"

"Will you…take care of me?" Prozen whispered. "I don't know how much longer I can last like this. It hurts too much."

Evelyn looked into his eyes, and saw a broken man. She also saw the day when her own son turned his back on her and walked away to do something she didn't believe in. "Yes. Yes, of course."

~ to be continued

I don't know why I wrote this chapter. I sort of wanted to show Prozen's memories of his father (I want to write that story, it's called Zoids: Rapid Fire) as well as coming to terms with what he is. Well, sort of. There's a lot he doesn't know. A LOT. This chapter will also aide in something else…Evelyn (hey, I found her real name – it's Louise…whoops) loved her son deeply, and I think he did love her back, but…well…we'll see. I want her to play a foster mother type figure for the characters. Like I said, Prozen is so OOC… :(


	21. 20 You'll be give love

_*theatrical sigh* Well, this is the part you've all been waiting for…um, maybe. Nao has already read this chapter, so I don't think I'll get anymore reviews *sweatdroplet* Hehehe. Raven. Thomas. Funny business in bed. And it's so hard with people in the room!!!!! (Please note that Plink is still a virgin, she is most definitely a girl, and has an overactive imagination. All three of which she is not afraid to admit. There's nothing wrong with celibacy.)_

Chapter 20: You'll be given love

The sun went down gently, and the two watched it, both quietly wondering why. What was the fascination with the moving of a great big ball of gas? It wasn't poetic if you called it that, however, but it was somehow soothing for them.

"It's getting cold. Want to go inside?"

"Yeah." Raven's hand didn't leave his as Thomas led him into the warmth of the room. How many times had he watched the sun set and wished someone was there to share it with him? Enjoy the warmth and the growing cold? The way the light changed over the clouds?

"It's going to rain soon."

"It should storm. Poetic justice."

Thomas stared at his companion in amazement. "Storm? Poetic _justice_? Since when do you play the dark smouldering romantic?"

"Since I met you." Raven's smile was genuine, and warmed Thomas' bewildered heart. He hugged him tightly, burying his face in the Imperial's shirt.

Thomas caught his injured hand and stared at the scar across his palm. He bit his lip and felt a sudden surge of anger towards Van – couldn't Van see what he had been doing to Raven, all this time? Hurting him? No one had the right to hurt him…and if they did, they'd have to suffer the consequences. "Raven, let's do something stupid." He whispered.

"Blow something up?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind. You see…I…I want…" He couldn't find the right words for it.

Raven touched his face, running his thumb across Thomas' lower lip. "…Not here. It's not right."

"But there is no 'right' place." Thomas responded, and bit Raven's thumb, very gently. "No such thing. But any place for me is right as long as you're at my side."

Raven smiled. "No one cared about me enough to say that. I love you so much…This has got to be a dream. This can't be real."

Thomas kissed him, with a little more skill this time - after all, they'd been practising. "I'm real. I'm very real. And…I want you to be my first."

Raven blushed. "Really?"  
"Of course. Right now I can't see anyone else out there for me. I'm here if you want me…and at the same time, I'm not so worried if you don't, because…because I love you."

They stood there for a moment, still, as the world moved around them in the endless dance of life. With careful fingers, Raven undid Thomas' buttons, the slight touches of both warm fingers and soft material making his skin tingle. He slipped it off and to his delight, Raven kissed him again, longer, deeper, and so much more intimate. 

"This is your first time, isn't it?" Raven asked.

"Of course. Can you possibly see me with anyone?"

"Your brother maybe." came the calm reply. 

Thomas stared at him in amazement and some horror. "My brother? Karl?"

"A…joke…going around the Republic side, seeing as you two are close off duty. Don't worry about it." Raven's hands moved downwards, over Thomas' jeans, and the blond gasped at the way his body was reacting. Warmth had spread from his belly downwards and his jeans were feeling tighter and tighter…

"Oh-me-oh-my." Raven murmured. "I'm _impressed_."

"I…uh…sorry."

"For what? You're not putting the fear of Thomas* into me, but somewhere close. Come on, onto the bed, I'm not doing it standing up." Raven's smile was dark, seductive, and Thomas allowed himself to be pushed down onto Raven's bed. The dark haired mercenary slid over him, straddling his hips, and they kissed again. "I'm going to _enjoy_ this…"

"Wh-what are you-_ooh_…"

Raven's tongue danced against his skin, moving downwards, trailing light kisses that both aroused and terrified the lieutenant. "Shh, Thomas…"

Thomas waited, feeling the light tug of his belt being undone, and then the growing coolness as his lover undressed him – Raven was curiously gentle for one so violently minded. Fingers touched and played across sensitive skin, soft moans and whimpers freed from his lips.

"Now…" Purred Raven. "As much as I love…"

"…Ahh!! R-Raven!"

"…Being the dominant one in bed…" Raven's caresses of his member made his vision hazy. "…You're a virgin in both senses…so I don't mind if you…" He didn't finish the sentence, simply smiled as Thomas writhed beneath him, his blond curls around his head like a halo as Raven's touch became more intrusive, hungrier. Raven carefully undressed to avoid hurting himself from the half healed wounds, revealing his own stiffened manhood, anxious to be touched and released, and the two kissed again, Thomas' hands moving of their own accord to his lover's hips. He jerked him closer, wanting it to be easier to kiss. Wanting Raven's tongue to slide into his mouth, make if feel so good…

"Easy Thomas…" Raven murmured, nibbling his ear before he moved back again. "I'm not used to playing uke, so…"

"…Anything…I can do?"

"Down, tiger." Raven laughed, a sound that was so beautiful to Thomas' ears. "You'll be doing a hell of a lot in a minute. Just have to…limber up…as it were." 

Thomas closed his eyes and felt pressure as Raven moved over him, and then tight, hurting heat around him that became beautiful pleasure. "_Raven_!! Oh _god_!!"

"Mmm…" Raven moved gently out of respect for Thomas – he knew how hard it was. He clutched the bedspread beneath them hard, and hung his head, delighting in the forbidden lusts that now howled within him. "Forgot…how good…this feels…"

"Harder…do it…harder!!!"

Raven responded, and Thomas lay tortured beneath him, not know what to do. The pain lessened and the pleasure increased, as the pressure built up inside. His fingers tightened on Raven's hips and he heard the younger man laugh with delight as Thomas gave in and began to thrust upwards, trying to match his lovers' movements.

"I…I can't hold…_Raven_!!!" His back arched and he gasped, unable to speak as the orgasm ripped through him. His cheeks red from the work out and his own shame he managed to pull himself up onto his elbows and stared at the impish face before him.

"…Hmm…going to have to work you hard, lieutenant." Raven ran his fingers through his tangled mess of hair and leaned over to kiss him. "A lot harder."

Still blushing, Thomas managed to pull himself up as Raven slid off of his body and stretched with the casualness of someone who knew more than they let on. "I…I'm sorry…"

"Sorry for what?" 

"Your bandage for one…"

"Shit." Raven said, astonished at the fresh blood dribbling down his side. "I forgot about that. Ow."

"And uh…you…"

Raven looked down at his nether regions. "Oh. _That_. I don't mind, 'cos you have a lot to learn, and it will all come in time. As will I."

Thomas giggled at his joke, and then looked away from Raven. "I…"

"Cuddle me…." Raven was suddenly close again, kissing him, and Thomas felt unbelievably happy.

"Sounds…fun…" Thomas allowed himself to be touched again, and slid his fingers across the drenched skin of Raven and lifted him up and onto his body, kissing him again, and the silky smooth sensation of Raven's fingers as they slid through his hair and the kiss deepened.

And all thoughts of Fiona left him then, now and forever. There was no guilt, no pain. This was where he was meant to be.

~ to be continued

_*Okay, in case you're wondering what the whole fear of Thomas thing is about, it stems from a passage from the book Red Dwarf. There's a part where…well, it would ruin the story a little for you if I told you why, but the characters return to earth and find themselves heroes. One of them, Rimmer, is a hologram. Now, he develops the technology to create bodies and so on, and keeps getting…upgrades. Let's just say he has to dress from the right AND the left respectively. _

_Onto the author's notes: Phew! *Loosens her shirt* Yeowza, as my BF would say. I found out something disturbing the other day about him – he's written a hetro/yaoi threesome before. Dude! It got nicked offa him in his tafe class, and the two chicks who read it liked it. A lot. Unfortunately I think he got rid of it after that…damn! Fingers crossed he doesn't find this one, yes? *giggle* _

_Oh yes, before I forget, happy birthday, auntie Jackie. 17 Feb was the date I finished this chapter…her birthday ;) Hope you're NOT reading this, auntie Jackie…*whistles innocently* _


	22. 21 Always where you least expect it

_All right, this one's just confusing. Don't say I didn't warn you. Fiona/Dark Kaiser face off against Prozen and the truth comes out. _

Chapter 21: Always where you least expect it…

The base was mobilized, Zoids bristling with enough weaponry to make Leena Toros back off, hand in her Gunsniper and vote for world peace. Intelligence had already picked up the movement of a large congregation of Zoids to the west of the base, and while whispers of it being a revenge attack for all the wrong committed against the minister, Van and Fiona stood, looking at each other.

"Please don't go." She whispered.

"It's going to be okay, I've fought worse. Come on, Hiltz and the DeathStinger. _That_ was bad."

"This is…different."

"It's a bunch of idiots in Zoids. It doesn't matter how good the Zoid is, if they can't bring out it's full potential, they haven't got _anything_ on me."

"That's not what I meant."

Van tried to fathom what Fiona was going on about, but her hands kept grabbing at his arm. It was…annoying. He loved his freedom, why was she doing this? He was a pilot…sure they were a couple, but he had a job to do…

"Van…"

"Fiona, I'm needed. If Prozen won't stay dead, we'll have to meet him at every turn. Hey Irvine!" It was odd how Irvine had been skulking around the base these last few hours, like he'd done something wrong. But hey, if it was Irvine, most of the time he _had_ done something bad. It didn't mean he was actually going to get caught. "Irrrrrvine!!"

"Yeah, what is it Van?"

"What are you doing with those?" Fiona asked suddenly, her eyes bright. There was something different in her voice, something…something Van had only heard when she was angry. A cold, shiny metallic quality. She poked at the box, and then opened it, revealing some medical supplies and a fresh uniform, and some of those little flannelettes. "Irvine? Irvine, look at me! _Irvine_!"

"Look, I have to run these down to stores-"

"You're stealing them!"

"I am not." He snapped back indignantly. "Look, leave me alone, okay? Damn kids…"

Van watched her for a moment, and through the folds of some great blanket, he thought: This is very strange. Why is Irvine taking these things? His Zoid is over there. He's not taking them off the base…he's…

"You're stealing them." Van found himself saying, unusually flat. 

"I'm not, really. I'm just taking them to another place on base. Fiona, quit it, stop that!"

"Stop _what_?" She stepped back and narrowed her eyes. Zeke growled. 

Zeke had been sitting on top of the BladeLiger, but now he had alighted down beside Fiona and loomed over her. But there was something different to the way was moving, to the way he sounded. Almost as if he was being…forced.

"…Zeke?"

"I have to go. Please." Irvine finally wrenched the box from Fiona's grip and hurried away. 

Fiona grabbed Van's arm. "Let's follow him!"

"Uh-! Fiona!" He found himself dragged after her, and after Irvine as he hurried down hallways and across seating areas. What a spectacle they must have been…

After a few mix-ups and collisions with some of the others on base, they finally caught up with the 'thief' only to see the door to the apartment slid open, and his body pulled inside. The door closed, just as quick, and Van touched it, curious…

There were voices in there…familiar ones…

"This is Lieutenant Flyheight of the Guardian Force. Open up immediately." 

There was a crash inside, a yell of pain and a groan that sounded like it could be male. 

"Just a minute!" 

Van rolled his eyes, overrode the security lock and went inside. 

The last thing he was expecting was for Ambient to knock him to the ground and launch himself towards Fiona. Zeke got there first, and for a moment, the two tussled, trying to get the upper hand while Fiona screamed for help. Van pulled her out of the way, just as Ambient slammed the hapless Zeke to the ground and held him there with a hind paw.

"Shit!" Came the astonished outburst from Irvine, who was partially hidden under the bed to the left of the door. In the opposite corner was a pair of familiar faces, one being the ex-preisdent's, the other being…

"Prozen." Van snarled. "How the hell did _you_ get in here?"

Before he could get any answers, Ambient turned on him, using his tail as a club. Van ducked, and the spikes buried into the wall, leaving the organoid unable to attack him anymore. He snarled, but relaxed, and beneath him Zeke whined.

To Van's surprise, instead of smirking evilly, or even gloating over the stupidity of the Guardian Force, Prozen simply slid down the wall, still pressed hard against it, until he was on his knees, his back straight against the smooth surface. His face was as white as his hair, and if anything, he looked like he'd seen a ghost. Even more disturbingly, his focus was on Van's left ear.*

"Prozen, damn it, look at me!"

The crimson gaze slowly transferred and refocused. "Behind you." He whispered and began to shake.

"I am so not falling for that." Van replied.

"Please…don't let her near me…not again…I can't…"

"Van, he's sick, please, just go. He's not causing any trouble…we've been chased and threatened by so many people…" Evelyn whispered.

"Ex-President Camford, how can you say that? The man's insane! He'll kill you and spit on your corpse!"

"He's unable to defend himself right now, Lieutenant-"

But Fiona had stepped forward. Her eyes were filled with hatred, her face set in a stern and very un-Fiona like way. "You."

Prozen tried to back into the wall even more. It didn't work.

"Why don't you just _die_?" She hissed. "Why do you keep popping up everywhere? You're an outdated relic of the past, and yet…yet you _still_ seem to cling to some hope that you can survive…"

"…You can't control me!"

"What?" Asked Van, confused. It was like a complete role reversal here…

"You may have taken my sanity, my body and my dreams, but you can't have my soul." Prozen whispered. "I still have nightmares over what you did to me. I sometimes wish I was dead, but that wouldn't help anybody now, would it?"

"I can do the job for you. Finish what my mother started."

"Your mother was a fool."

"Take that back!" Fiona screamed.

"No." Prozen managed to stand. "Just as my parents were both fools. Terribly beautiful and hopeful fools who dreamed of a world where everyone was happy. They did everything they could to bring it together, but there was just one tiny little problem…"

"Yes. Us. Die, filthy dirt dweller. Little grubby hole-digger, child eater."

"Fair game. Laws of nature." Prozen replied. "I never took a life back then."

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't change what you are." Fiona balled her fists. "How many Zoidian children died to further your species?"

Prozen closed his eyes. "You never signed the treaty."

"Why should we?"

"To save the children." He laughed then, an odd and worried sound. "You knew what we were, and you still go on about the children. You don't look at the source of your problems."

Fiona smiled. "Yes we did. That's why we killed you all."

"Didn't kill me." Prozen snapped back.

"You were a technicality. One to be remedied." Fiona stepped forward and went to grab him, but he ducked away.

"You didn't _think_. You didn't _adapt_. Over the years my people and the others lived, we developed rules and laws that _protected_ us from each other after living off each other for so long. You were fresh blood. You were ignorant. We tried to talk to you, and you refused to listen. So all is fair game."

"Would you eat me?" This was a whisper.

"I don't know. I'm still a child." Came the reply. Prozen edged away from her again. "I'm so tired. Tired of running. Tired of listening to your damn voice in my head. Leave me alone."

"You're a part of me."

"You're a monster that was never meant to be." Prozen could not back away any further and trembled as Fiona reached him. "You were a bastard creation from my people's blood and the fetid slime of the Zoidians. Leave me, Kaiser. Go away."

"Kaiser?! The _fuck_ you talking about?!" Irvine snarled. The group had been silent listening to this odd exchange, and now, that one word had caught everyone's attention.

"Every night I tried to sleep, you were there, in my head, telling me to kill. You did terrible, terrible things to me. And I could tell no one. No one except Hiltz. Ambient reawakened the knowledge inside me, he broke down the barriers I put up to protect myself, to forget what I knew, forget how I was hurt over and over again by your people. I still have those scars."

"Hiltz…" Fiona laughed. "Hiltz is one of us now…"

"…Hiltz, no!" Came the frightened reply. "How could you…?!"

"We did it to your father, we'll do it to you." Fiona hissed. "You were just a toy, you were a means to an end. Even for him."

"_No_!"

"Yes." Fiona stopped and looked up. "They're coming. They're coming here, and I can go home."

"Then…then kill me now!"

"No, do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, I think you're an evil bitch with no morals and even less sympathy. Put a bullet in my head, because that way you won't have to worry about ZoidEVE anymore, or me, or any Zoids whatsoever. Go on. Shoot me. Without Hiltz…I am nothing…"

The last remark was in Van's direction, and he stared at the man in front of him. "Shoot…you?"

"I…I have nothing to live for." Came the quiet reply. "You want me dead, Flyheight. Do it."

"No. You're being brought to justice."

"I killed your father, Van. It was me. No one else. I shot him like the coward I am, in the back, when he was going to leave. Please, put a bullet in my head before I'm infected again. I'm not strong enough to hold on anymore. The only reason I'm here is because…I thought Hiltz was…someone else. I thought he was…a part of me. Please Van. I've suffered for so long…"

"My father was killed when he was using his CommandWolf." Van replied, shaking his head, trying to stop the strange thought of his father being shot. "You gave the command to take Shadow, but…you never ordered anyone to die. Not on purpose."

"SHOOT ME YOU ARROGANT LITTLE BASTARD!!!" Prozen screamed. "Do you think I _enjoy_ this? This _thing_ is not a Zoidian at all! It's an experiment, her name is _Fine_ don't you know what that means, my _god_!!" He sank to the floor into another coughing fit. Fiona smiled and forced his head down, listening to him choke on his own fluids.

"This is…unexpected. You're coming into it faster than we thought."

"Shoot…me…"  
"Do you know what's happening inside your body, Minister?" Fiona purred. Gone was the sweet and innocent little girl everyone knew, people were hugging the walls in an effort to get out of the way. "I don't think you do. I certainly don't…but your energy…is quite interesting. It's like your gathering all your available strength for some great task…We never could find any of you at this state of being. You're not sick…but you're not healthy either…I wonder what's wrong?"

"…Shoot me you…little…turd…"

But Van couldn't move. He was hypnotised. 

"Just you wait a little longer. When the group get here, then we can have fun. There are many tests we can do without you loosing your life, even your consciousness. There are drugs you know, that we can make you take, to keep you awake while we explore your internal organs…"

There was a clank and the lights flickered, making everyone jump. The alarms were going off, people were running and screaming everywhere. They were under attack.

"…Fiona?" Van shook himself, as if waking from a dream, surprised to find Rhyss at his side, her face calm while all around her was chaos.

"A group of Prozen supporters. They're attacking the base with all they have." She said quietly, while taking stock of the situation. Fiona shivered, blinked, then straightened. "Van?"

Evelyn ran forward and caught the minister before he slumped over. He snuggled into her, whimpering, trembling like a frightened child. The two organoids were cowering from Specula, it was as if Rhyss was controlling everything…

"Irvine, Van, you're needed in the hangers. Your Zoids are required. Now."

"Yes." Like dolls they responded, Irvine's forehead creasing a little as he tried to understand the two commands from his brain, one Rhyss' the other his own. But the command was non-threatening, not against his beliefs, and he gave up. Rhyss swayed from the effort but caught herself and then turned to Fiona, who looked like she was lost.

"Fiona…?"

"Rhyss? What's happening?"

"Don't be afraid. Just come with me. Okay? We're going to the command centre."

"Okay."

Rhyss turned and looked down at the cowering people on the floor, and then to Ambient. Still not up to his full strength, he was watching Specula very carefully. He backed up and sat down beside Evelyn and Prozen, his emerald green optical sensors glowing faintly. He opened his mouth and hissed long and hard, a sign that not only was he angry, he was confused. 

"I'm sorry." Rhyss muttered, and ran after the moving people.

Ambient did the organoid equivalent of a shrug and nuzzled Prozen's form.

And overhead, the explosions started.

~ to be continued

*classic defence of mad people is to stare at a person's ear while talking. Very unnerving. Source taken from Pratchett's _Night Watch_

Okay, I didn't like the end of the chapter, but it will be explained in a moment. Fiona and Dark Kaiser may share the same body, but they are two different people. Yes, that was Kaiser doing the mean stuff. Rhyss managed to get him under control before he did anything stupid; he hates Prozen with a passion. And Kaiser was controlling Van and Zeke.

Ambient is not up to strength yet, so he won't be able to do some real damage…


	23. 22 For love or honour?

I've been torturing the both of them, haven't I? This one's for our model freak on the ML *Waves at Dana* who got me addicted to the DarkSpiner. Of course, I will incur the wrath of the Fraulein Colonel for hurting Karl, but hey…we all know that in a fight, Hiltz would win ;p

Chapter 22: For love or for honour?

He sat on the floor, his head in her lap as the heat increased, as his body seemed to shut down. It was so hazy, so hard to think. His head was spinning, his limbs felt heavy. All he wanted was to sleep. His thirst would not go away, his throat was burning, and he kept drooling blood…

"Stay calm…" Evelyn whispered to him, wetting another flannelette and mopping his forehead. His breath was coming in rapid gasps – she'd tried to make him lie down, but he'd started to cough even harder and more violently. Now he just rested on the towel on her lap, his long hair loose and on the horribly grey carpet on the floor. The other small mercy was that she wasn't asking any questions about the odd exchange of words with Fiona not long before.

Karl had come in. Karl had begged to take him away, but no, Prozen felt even worse now. Hiltz…Hiltz was the one reason he'd tried to stay together. More memories were coming back, that…that time in the core…they'd held each other in a chaste embrace, and he'd done his best to calm Hiltz' fear. Zoidians were not meant to merge with Zoids. Not like this. Deeper and deeper he had woven Hiltz into the soft embrace of the Crimson Sea, but was it possible that Hiltz…had…he had been…broken…by that power? Had he lost something in coming back?

And what the hell was the Crimson Sea? 

Every time he had closed his eyes and fallen into a deep sleep, he had seen it, the vast flat plain floating beneath him. Sometimes he was in it – it was liquid. But not blood. Well, sort of. It tasted like it, smelt like it, probably _was_ blood, but blood was not translucent like this. The Crimson Sea…he remembered…something to do with the power…what power…?

It was…safety…family was there…protection…

He coughed again.

Karl had been most intrusive. He had grabbed him, held him tightly in a heated embrace, the warmth of the human's body insanely wonderful, driving him mad. And then…then Karl had kissed him. Hard. Long. Hungry. Tried to take his clothes off. Prozen had rejected the wild-eyed colonel, seeing the darkness in his battered soul – the human was not at his best. He was desperate. Needy. He'd left to get to his Zoid to fight, even though the others had protested. 

Evelyn was safety. She was not his mother, but she would do. Her hands were cool, soft, stroking his brow and his hair as the world drifted in and out of this strange red vision.

He wanted Hiltz. He needed him. He…couldn't have died…nor become a Reaper, no…never…not Hiltz. He was too strong. Too strong by far. Hiltz was _always_ strong.

Prozen whined again and shifted his weight. It was so _hot_…so hard to think…

There was a moment of relief as a door was opened, and he felt a cool breeze wash over his feet, arms and face. Sweat dripped. Soon his body would shut down.

Evelyn's gasp only just reached his drugged ears.

"No!!" She gasped. "Not you!"

He heard Ambient's confused roar, and the sudden shadow of the organoid moving over him. And the voice. The voice he had been waiting for, that commanded his very heart to beat. 

"Ex-President Camford." Hiltz' voice was calm, but there was an undertone of worry.

"Please…don't hurt him." Evelyn whispered. "He's sick…I don't know what's wrong with him…I don't know if…if he will…"

"He's not dying." Hiltz replied. The gentle concern in his voice did not mask the knowledge of what he was from Prozen. "He's…it's hard to explain. Tell me his symptoms."

"…Symptoms?"

"It's important."

"…A temperature close to 106 degrees. He's climbing rapidly. And…he's coughing. A lot."

"Like he's trying to dislodge something?"

"Yes…"

"May I?" He knelt down beside her and cupped Prozen's face in his fine hands. Prozen whimpered and tried to look away, but Hiltz slid his index and middle finger into his mouth and felt around for a moment. His patient didn't fight back, as somehow the gentle pressure was painful but soothing at the same time. There was the horrible sensation of something popping. "His glands are up. He's trying to make them work, that's all. Leaking a little from the left…"

"What?"

"Another reason they were collected. Rare Hertz produce a stimulant in a pair of special glands in the back of their mouths. It's…hard to describe what it does. To the Hertz, it's like some sort of elixir of life…healing abilities, a sort of bonding agent between families. The Rare Hertz and it's young…" Hiltz looked at his fingers, now covered with a mixture of what looked like blood and saliva. "To the Zoidians, it was legal and supposedly healthy cocaine. They'd buy it bottled off the streets for a lot of money. A _lot_ of money. Adults were selling out their families to get a cupful of it. It kept you healthy, it made you amazingly happy. Elated. But the comedown was worse. What they didn't realise was that there was an easier way to do the whole thing – get the Rare Hertz to do it willingly. They just killed them…"

"I…don't understand."

"Just don't touch the blood on the towel, it can be absorbed by the skin. Just dump it in the wash, and hope that the water will be enough to negate it. Because he's just doing it now means this stuff is…incredibly…potent."

"But you…"

Hiltz smiled. "Well, I have a reason. The fluid is used by the Rare Hertz to feed to its mate on their 'first night', to tell if their chosen really it what they're looking for. This stuff will kill you, understand? It's that strong. A bonding agent, if you like, in the height of passion. He did it once and he's going to do it again."

"But…"

"No buts. We don't have much time before he starts to feed. It's going to be horrible, and I don't think he could stomach killing you."

"Killing me? What?"

"He's thirsty. He needs instant energy to complete his transformation into a fully-fledged Rare Hertz. This means he needs blood. I have to get him out of there before the others find him and hurt him before I'm through with him."

"What are you going to do to him?"

"Keep him safe."

"You're lying." Evelyn clutched Prozen's body and he groaned softly, trying to struggle free from the contact. "You're going to hurt him!"

"No…I'm not going to hurt him." Hiltz stroked Prozen's head, his voice restrained. "And I'm not going to ask you to trust me. But tell me this…can you protect him from a number of Reapers, and can you protect yourself from _him_?"

"I…"

"Evelyn…" Prozen whispered. "…He's…he's right…they'll…hurt you. Let me…go with him…please…"  
Evelyn hung her head and gently released the stricken warlord, and Hiltz smiled. "That's better."

He helped Prozen to his feet and held him while he steadied himself, and looked into Hiltz' eyes. "You…you're…"

"Shh." He allowed Prozen to snuggle into him, and then gave Evelyn an apologetic look. "Thanks for taking care of him. I'll have him back by dawn, nine in the morning at the latest. They'll be here in a minute, so get rid of that towel of they'll hurt you."

"Are they Reapers or supporters of _him_?"

"Reapers, m'am." Hiltz cuddled Prozen closer. "All this Prozen supporter act is a big fat lie so they can continue to destroy the governments from within. Get to your son, Mrs Camford, because already they're leaking poison into his ears. They mean to take this world once and for all this time." He turned to Ambient. "And as for _you_…you're a sight for sore eyes, old friend. Just a little longer. I have to do this on my own, understand?"

The organoid whined, and Evelyn nodded sadly, as they watched the two go out the door.

Hiltz led him through the now empty hallways to the hanger down below to get out of the base, stopping when he needed to rest, catching him if he lost his balance. Once it was particularly bad, as they crossed the vast open space that seemed to press down on the both of them.

"…Hiltz!"

"Gunther! I'm sorry I didn't realise-"

"It's okay." Prozen started to shake and laughed again, burying his face in his hands. "I feel like I'm going to die."

"You're not. Don't say that."

"All the time…I…I kept dreaming of you…Are you a dream?"

"Am I? I don't know. Maybe." Hiltz smiled and helped him up, cuddling him close.

"…Hold me…" Prozen begged. He longed to be safe in Hiltz arms again; if anyone could make this pain go away it was him. "They said you were dead. They told me over and over again…you were dead…"

"It's been like that for the last few days, believe me. Come on, we can't stay here…it's dangerous."

"I can't move…" He stumbled a few more steps then slid to his knees.

"Yes you can. You can and you will. Come on." Hiltz replied gently but firmly, and knelt down beside his crumpled form. "I know you're afraid. Deep down you are. I know how you love to be in control…but right now, you're just going to have to trust me." His smile was so warm and wonderful, Prozen didn't resist as he kissed him, a soft and sweet touch on his forehead. Such an intrusion was not allowed, but for Hiltz…?

"…I…"

"Hush, don't say a word. Just get up, and we can get out of here."

"…Okay…" Gently helped up again, cuddled and held for a moment, they began to move again, only to be stopped by something more than just unexpected.

Karl Shubaltz threw off his jacket and his hat and slid into a fighting stance. "Put him down."

"No."

"…Karl?"

"Listen carefully, you Zoidian bastard, I can _see_ what's on your head, and I know what you _are_. Put him down now. Or face the consequences."

"…You may know what I am, but you know nothing _of_ it. Use your head Karl. Think about things. Properly. I don't want to kill you, at least, not in front of Gunther, but if you push my hand I'll be forced to react."

"Fine then. AARRRGGHH!!" Karl ran towards them, fists clenched, ready to begin, but at the last minute, Hiltz pushed Prozen's body away from him and sidestepped the charging colonel. As Karl passed, Hiltz caught his shirt and yanked him to the side, hard, and with a grunt the colonel toppled. Hiltz pushed him to the ground, straddled him, pinning his arms to his sides and smiled. 

"Who put you up to this?"

"Get off me!"

"Answer my question. This is very unlike you."

"I have to stop you _somehow_!"

"Had to, had to, past tense, colonel." Hiltz shifted his weight slightly, still crouched, thinking. "Is it possible you're thinking that you can do the job I was born for?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You have no idea why you're so protective of him, do you?"

"…You bastard."

"Don't do this."

"I've had everyone I've ever loved taken away from me! Now _him_."

"He wasn't yours in the first place."

"Ownership!! Is _that _what you think of him?!"

"You have no idea." Hiltz replied, in his usual calm way. "The empty space inside won't be filled by Gunther. It can't. You push people away colonel, so what makes you think you can survive and adapt to him? The natural response to the messages you're picking up is to be _protective_. I can understand that. But you don't really _understand_ what this entails. You can't fuck him out of _honour_, Shubaltz, it doesn't work like that…part of you is there, but would you die for him? Do you have any idea whatsoever of what being his partner is going to do to you?"

They continued to try and outstare each other, but Karl finally had to blink and cursed loudly in his native language. The string of exciting expletives were loud and somehow intrusive to Prozen, who sat on the floor, simply trying to breathe. He covered his ears and whined. 

Hiltz stood up, and dusting off his hands he went over to Prozen's side and helped him up to take him outside, leaving Karl to stare at the ceiling in defeat.

"Very surprising. You have more friends than you thought." 

Prozen tried to laugh, but only coughed again.

Hiltz' DarkSpiner was carefully parked in the safety of the shadows beside the massive hangers; it's head close to the ground for ease of entry. The sun was almost down and the floodlights could come on soon, but still it was hidden from the prying eyes of the world. To the far left came the sounds of battle, the scream of Zoids, and cries of humans, explosions, and for some odd reason a really awful country song.

"Moonbay." Both said in unison. 

Hiltz opened the cockpit and then jumped down and helped the ashen haired beauty up and into the safety the Zoid offered. As Hiltz sat down, he gently rearranged Prozen so he was resting in his lap, putting the extra harness over him to protect his frail form from injury. 

"Ready, sweetheart?" Hiltz purred in his ear.

Prozen could barely answer, he was so weak. A faint nod and a little smile, and the DarkSpiner stood up, mindful of its load and began to move, a light hop over the fence and a growing dash to freedom.

Curled up against his beloved, Prozen felt only safety, and a deep growing need to sleep. He tried to keep his eyes open as the Zoid moved, but the motion was somehow soothing, and he couldn't help it…

"It's okay…you can sleep if you want…It'd probably be better if you did." Hiltz kissed his head again. 

"…Yeah…"

Somehow the heat and pressure weren't so bad with Hiltz there. But there was something else, something…different…a strange need he hadn't felt before…something so much darker…hiding beneath the shifting waves…the Sea had been so flat, and now was starting to heave beneath him, dark thunderous waves, and a hunger…

Hiltz growled.

This was somehow…exciting.

Prozen found the strength to clutch Hiltz' jacket and nuzzle closer to his warmth, achieving a grunt of surprise from his rescuer. "What's the matter?" Followed by an "Oh shit, did I miscalculate how far in you are? Fuck-fuck-fuck…"

"…Hiltz…"

"Not here, not now."

"…_Hiltz_…"

"Can you get any hotter? Bloody hell…Don't…Ah…_get your hand out of there_-HEY!!"

"…Now that…I have your attention…behind us…"

"…Right." Hiltz blushed at having been so careless and felt Prozen curl up against him again, his long fingers curled around the straps holding him in place, his head resting against his shoulder. "You bastard."

Prozen managed to laugh this time.

The DarkSpiner spun around and he faced a GunSniper and a CommandWolf. The Spiner's screen flared and a pair of familiar faces appeared, those of Rhyss…and Ina. For all the trouble Payne had caused, the two were working together to bring down a common foe, namely Hiltz.

The redhead gulped. "Hello ladies. I'm already taken this evening, but I'm sure I can pencil you in after-OW! The hell was that for?" Hiltz made a mental note not to joke about the relationship until after Prozen was out of this stage of his life. He was definitely not one for joking around right now.

Rhyss scowled at him. "Hiltz. What…what are you doing?"

"My job."

"Your job?" Ina's face was a picture of innocence. "But…that's…that's not fair!"

Oh, so she'd finally woken up over the whole abuse thing. "Not fair how? Mind telling me?"

"Orders were to get Lynette…you're sneaking off with him!"

"Can I ask an honest question?" Hiltz licked his lips, and shifted his weight beneath Prozen, who in turn stiffened and whimpered again. "Do you invite everyone to the honeymoon? I don't think so."

Rhyss started to laugh, but it was more out of fear than anything else. "Payne's in your mind, you idiot. You think you have enough time but it's obvious you don't. I know what's happening. He's sinking deeper – he'll tear you apart to feed himself."

"Not if I get to sanctuary first."

"You don't have enough time."

"Who says?"

Ina looked away, her face streaming with tears. Probably remembering Payne.

There was a rumble, and a MKII IronKong appeared, a furious Karl at the helm. "Let him go, you bastard!! Let the minister go!!"

"Uh, right now that's not feasible." Hiltz replied. The Spiner ducked its head, grunting softly in growing excitement and the anticipation of the battle ahead. "Come on you lot…just let me go…"

"The future of Zi is sitting on your lap, you moron!" Rhyss snarled. "I won't let you destroy everything!! That's not fair!"

"Who's side are you on anyway, Rhyss? Life isn't fair." The Spiner moved forward, lashing out with a hind leg at the CommandWolf as it charged, catching it hard, and pushing it to the ground. The IronKong tried to hit the saurian Zoid but this DarkSpiner was different from its fellows, not so slow and stubborn. Ducking out of the way the CommandWolf never got up again as a giant fist slammed into it's body. The Spiner leapt bodily upwards, and away, but not so far as to not be able to reach the frightened GunSniper that had been firing at it. It started forward, but the larger Zoid sidestepped it right into the path of the IronKong. Hooking its tail in its mouth, the Spiner used the GunSniper as a club to knock the IronKong over. Taking a few steps back, the sails moved upwards and the head and body straightened, the tail coolant system firing up, preparing to fire…

"Sorry kids." Hiltz replied. "But I have to make this look good."

The hot white light exploded from the Zoid's mouth, covering the three fallen Zoids, and distantly, you could hear the laughter of one very insane Zoidian…

~ to be continued.

*Blinks* Okay, that was interesting. Let me explain: As Hiltz said, there are two glands just by the base of the tongue. They're very small, but they produce a sort of highly charged fluid. Like the opposite of a snake's venom. Where one poisons, the other cures. A young Hertz has no need for this, but from birth they produce it – it's just reabsorbed back into the growing body until the Hertz reaches maturity.

They are attracted to their mate from birth, just not in a sexual way. If their guess is right, and this person is 'true' then their body will not be badly affected by the wallop they're about to receive. Ina will explain the whole Crimson Sea thing in the next chapter, but this stuff, geez, I have no idea what it's called…let's settle for the nickname 'FireBlood' it's a term I seem to use a lot in my fics…was used to 'feed' the young, and the mate. Oh this is confusing. A quick healing method of anything ingested, the Zoidians overused it when they dissected the bodies of dead Rare Hertz that were stabilized before dissolving back into the soil. They believed they had to kill the Rare Hertz in order to get it. Thus it had negative effects seeing as the dying body had released more chemicals into the mixture that induced hallucinations, and depression. Don't ask me why. 

I know I'm giving the character of Minister Prozen a lot to work with here, and yes, I will probably achieve a rap over the knuckles for it, but Fiona was different from every other Zoidian and she had red eyes. Rhyss never once merged with a Zoid. Fiona disappeared in the last four episodes, and Hiltz was absorbed by the core, was he not? Therefore, Fiona is not normal. I have to sort of factor the whole telepathy and everything else in. But it's not without it's downsides. Don't worry, Hiltz's Delnian blood will be examined a little more, but it has more things to do with indestructibility and the ability to read the elements.


	24. 23 Little victories but have you won the...

Chapter 23: Little victories but have you won the war?

Payne was pleased. Who wouldn't be? Everything had gone off without a hitch, and the beauty of it all was that everyone was so unsuspecting of his people, both the empire and the republic blaming the stupid supporters…who were, in fact, back at the mansion. Leaving him, Payne, to play merry hell with everyone's lives.

"Khem." He said through the link of his Zoid to his lieutenant. "Report."

"They fell for it, sir. The Guardian Force has just about left the base unattended, and Rhyss had already slipped in to find Lynette…we can't seem to locate the Rare Hertz, though. We also lost contact with Rhyss herself…and Ina."

"Ina is gone?"

"We can't find her…Sir…there…"

There was a drop in air pressure and the ground shook. "I _felt_ that. What the hell was that?!"

"A charged particle beam, sir." Khem's eyes were wide, his skin pale. "…There are no Zoids in the Guardian Force capable of that…and only one in ours that can perform that attack…"

"Hiltz…bringing out the heavy artillery, I see." That boy was strange. Very strange.

"I don't think you understand. We lost contact with him soon after the attack started, and one of our spies spotted the DarkSpiner in the base. Ina went over to investigate."

"I swear over my mother's fucking grave if that fucking turd had hurt a hair on my bitch's head, I am going to split him in two…" Payne snarled.

He didn't know why he was attracted to Ina. Her name, before accepting the power of the Mern, had been Sharris, but she'd changed it over to get in with the image of being what she was. A Reaper. She was different from the other girls, so quiet and shy, so very gentle. He'd been playing her originally, taking her virginity, and using her for sex to forget the ones he lost. But over time he realised he had been falling in love with her – some of the things she did really annoyed him, but she was always so nice. He'd always taken her for granted over that, but having sex with Rhyss in front of her had just about been the breaking point for her – she'd refused him back into her bed. 

Payne felt disappointed. 

He liked her body. She wasn't a waif like the other girls, big hips, plump little belly, someone to cuddle when you felt depressed about the world. And okay, so she wasn't so good in bed, those little noises she made when they were screwing turned him on no end. She was the kind of girl he'd…

_Don't say it_

…raise a family with.

She couldn't be dead.

No way in hell.

He balled his fists. "Do you have Lynette?"

"We're fetching her now. She's a little worried, but she seems okay…Ayla's with her…oh _shit_…"

"What?" Payne's head snapped up.

"Yan just came back. Hiltz was shooting at…he was shooting at Rhyss and Ina. He got the imperial too."

Payne stared at the monitor, then carefully reached up and turned it off. Then he started to laugh. He laughed long, and loud, and madly, just as he had always done.

He was going to get Hiltz, and his pretty little Rare Hertz too.

~ to be continued.

_Yeah, let's all have a big cry for Payne. He has problems._


	25. 24 Meant to be

*Grins and gives everyone the thumbs up* This is the part I'VE been waiting for. Angsty Hiltz, a bit of vampirism (Oh, we can NEVER have enough of blood, can we girls?), another lemon…bordering on lime again, I'm not so good at this stuff…and some slightly psychotic Prozen. grins* Oh, and, if it could be called it, consensual rape. Just thought I'd mention that, you didn't think it was going to be flowers and chocolates, did you? Oh, and think the Matrix when the Mern starts getting upset. And one last thing? This is very confusing. Don't say I didn't warn you. Probably very unrealistic. Constructive in your flames please.

Chapter 24: Meant to be 

Hiltz stared at the form resting on the queen-sized bed, body slack, hair spilling over the pillows like white silk. Gods, he was beautiful. Did he know that? He was never one to flaunt himself in front of others, but still…

They'd made it to the house. Only just. After firing that beam, the Spiner had moved as fast as it could back to base. Payne was out in his Liger Zero, a relic from the distant past, keeping an eye on things while the humans milled around the base, walking targets for anyone stupid enough come looking here, so there would be no interruptions…

Hiltz ran his fingers through his hair and shivered. He was scared. Another quick glance at Prozen, and he hissed through his teeth. He'd had to undress the warlord to stop him from overheating and dying…it was said by his mother that the hotter they became the more _powerful_ they would become once they crossed over. This was close to _dying_ temperature.

Was he ready? Ready at all?

It had taken so much energy to try and hide his true motives from the Reapers, try and dance on the thin line of pretending and actually _being_ a Reaper. Using the Mern's powers just enough to seem normal, but not enough for the addiction. It was driving him mad, and the mounting paranoia that Payne _might_ know was starting to get on his nerves.

Clad only in his shirt and a pair of boxers, Prozen slept peacefully, twitching a little in his sleep as he dove deeper into wherever it was he was going. Hiltz had heard stories…he knew about the Crimson Sea – it was some cosmic level of balance the Rare Hertz shared with the shamans of the other species. A sea of collective consciousness, of power, and most of all, where little Rare Hertz went when they were about to become big scary adults, ready to kill.

_Fuck him now._

Hiltz licked his lips and started to sweat. The hell…?

This was their old room. Well, Prozen's actually. Where he slept after the Emperor deemed him old enough to survive on his own. A large room, but comfortable, huge windows opening up to the terrace outside, covered by plush curtains, a chest of drawers, long since emptied, rugs on the floor. A chest at the end of the bed, holding special things, trinkets to amuse the child inside, to amuse them _both_ on days when life needed a little light-

_Do it now. While you still can._

How many times had Prozen slept on this bed, and he, Hiltz Sierra had slept beside him? Using each other as pillows, sometimes one taking up the entire quilt and the other left out in the cold. Always, whenever he came down to see him, they would spend time together. As friends.

But now-

_Fuck him, you idiot._

-he was considering doing something more. He padded over the soft carpet and looked down at the slumbering man. Reached out, and touched the soft skin, not surprised by the fire running around beneath it. Prozen moaned softly and turned over, away from him.

Hiltz felt enraged that he would do that to him. Turn away!

_He's thinking of Karl, Hiltz. He's thinking of fucking that imperial bastard instead of you._

He roughly pulled him back and Prozen hissed in his sleep. He couldn't stop himself, Hiltz crawled over the still body, panting, wanting that heat. But the bright alien part wanted to pierce that heat, devour it and hurt it. The darker and more primordial part of him looked up from it's fire, grinned with shiny pointed teeth and told Hiltz it wanted the heat to be _inside_, to be one with it, _to drown in it_. 

_Fuck him_.

No.

Hiltz moved back, worried, and tried to cling to memories that gave him strength. This…this wasn't right, how in the world did Payne know? Mama had taken her little boy aside, and held him tightly, told him that he'd been Chosen. Told him to keep an eye out, told him he'd know. Cuddled up to her soft flesh breathing in the scent he'd known from birth, so calm and sweet.

You'll know. Don't let _anyone_ take it away from you.

"…Payne…"

He left the bed, hurriedly. That explained it. He'd tried so hard to keep the bastard out, but he was seeping in, seeping through the cracks into Hiltz' fragile mind. Still not fully healed from his ordeal in the core, he was mentally weak when he had to be strong, strong for the both of them. He moved into the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, ignoring the cramps in his stomach, which gradually grew worse as he sat on the side of the bath, his head between his knees.

"Stop it, Payne." He hissed. He could feel it moving inside his body, it's hunger growing.

_Aww, what's the matter, half-breed?_

"Get out of my head and out of my body."

_Heh, you're right about me being in your head, but I can guarantee that I'm not in your dick. That's you boy. Impressive!_

"Stop it!!"

_Can't. Won't. You…you hurt _me_ you prick._

"Well I won't hurt _him_."

That's okay, he'll attack you. And then he'll leave and sniff out someone else.

Hiltz swore, and stood up. There was another flurry of movement within him and as he clutched at himself, he saw a faint jubbing movement as the parasite rearranged itself within his gut.

_You haven't been feeding yourself, have you? Naughty boy…_

"What are you talking about?"

_Merns need to be fed continually. Or they turn on their host. They're not symbiotic, half-breed. They're _parasites_. And _yours_ is _starving_…_

Hiltz moaned as what felt like cold needles pierce something deep inside him. Brought to his knees, he crawled into the other room in hope of finding something soft to lie on as his insides were torn apart.

…So imagine his surprise to find the bed empty.

There was a distant scream, and he froze. The screamer stopped mid shriek and there was a thud. Blood drained from Hiltz' face, as he realised that not only had Prozen left, but he was also…feeding.

Minutes passed. Shadows darted around outside and there were more cries of fear. Voices, cries for help. It stopped for a little while, and Hiltz pulled himself up, wishing the old house wasn't quite as dark as it was – he'd lit the candles he'd placed in the room before leaving to collect the minister, but the shadows they cast were quite…wrong. 

_He's coming to eat you…wonder who will finish first, him or your Mern?_

Hiltz tried to calm himself again, letting the fear and pain get swallowed up and moved away.

_Hey! Don't do that! You sonofabitch! That's how you got past me…you bastard!_

He closed his eyes and thought of grey. Grey everywhere. Grey surrounding him. Hiding him in a mist so he could not be seen. He felt Payne pull back and try a different tact to find him, but he was one step ahead. Hiltz thought of being made of ice, snow beneath him, cold air all around him, slowly becoming one with the mist…so he was no longer there…

And Payne's voice faded. 

He'd hated deceiving some of them. Pretending to be one of them. He'd almost lost it all…but he'd tried so hard…couldn't give up now…so tempting…

The door opened again, and a man ran through screaming with fear, clawing at the floor as he stumbled and fell. Something light leapt over him, and Prozen smiled, standing coyly in front of the terrified human. As the man tried to escape – his unwashed smell quite foul to Hiltz' nose – Prozen leapt forward, caught his shoulder and pushed him onto his back. Then jumped back.

"…H-hey." Hiltz growled, wincing as each breath became more and more painful. "Don't play with your food."

Prozen turned to face Hiltz and studied him for a minute, then dove forward and straddled the man, taking his throat in his mouth and –

Hiltz looked away and listened to the sound of someone drinking. He didn't look up until the door creaked, and only then saw the dark blood spots on the thick dark blue carpet and a pair of boots being dragged out the door. He hung his head as he pulled himself to sit up on the end of the bed, wondering how long he had. Prozen had probably sought out everyone on the base who wasn't smart enough to take cover (Most of them) and of course, he was probably going to come back in here and take his life's blood…

There was a creak.

Prozen leaned against the door, smiling angelically. But his smile was tainted by the blood that dribbled down his chin, the blood from his latest victim. "Prrt?" He trilled, a somehow childish, yet arousing sound.

Hiltz raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, hello to you too."

Prozen padded across the carpet and his smile grew wider, not so innocent. His eyes…well, the whites had gone, now the entire ball of the eye was the same red as the iris. His shirt was splattered with blood, but surprisingly his skin was immaculate, pure.

Another wave of pain made Hiltz moan and slump over again, face creased with the agony of what was going on inside him. As he did so, Prozen knelt down in front of him, trying to peer into his face, to see what was wrong. His movements were strange, jerky, curious. Like an animal. He nudged Hiltz with his nose to get a reaction, but when Hiltz didn't respond, Prozen growled and pushed him back onto the bed.

The sudden straightening made Hiltz scream. The Mern moved again, upwards, and the two watched the movement until it faded further up. The redhead grabbed the blankets, twisting them as his back arched and the pain increased. He was going to die. He'd been stupid enough to do this and he was going to _die_…

And then the agony faded. 

Warmth spread from the firm touch, warmth that banished the cold. Warmth that swallowed his fear and pain. Hiltz opened his eyes, feeling his heart slow and his breathing calm, and he raised his head again to stare at Prozen. The minister smiled lovingly at him, his hand over the most painful part of his anatomy.

"…S'too late." Hiltz muttered. "S'torn me up…inside…fuck it…I'm…bleeding from…everywhere." He could distantly hear Payne's laughter, and it hurt him.

Gently, Prozen moved over his slack body, purring softly, and nuzzled Hiltz' throat. The other man closed his eyes and waited patiently for the killing blow hoping that the minister would do him the honour of making it quick, to find that-

There was the sensation…and the sound…of someone fiddling with the zip. Pulling it down. A warm hand stroked his chest, exploring a little, touching…fondling…

Hiltz' eyes opened in surprise then fluttered closed as the ripples of sensation floated across his skin.

Warm breath at his cheek, the scent of blood. And something else. Something…something he knew…

The soft moistness of a tongue against his cheek, playfully tasting him. Then across his lips…

The pressure of Prozen against him was painful to say the least, but when his insistent lips pressed against Hiltz' there was something else, something…hot…and good. He managed to open his eyes and stared up at the grinning creature above him, curtained by his long white hair. Their mouths touched again, and this time lips parted and the kiss deepened, exploring each other's mouths. Hot blood filled his mouth, slid invitingly down his throat, and made the hurt go away. More insistent pressure, and Hiltz realised that Prozen was naked.

"…You…you still want me?" His mind was reeling from the concoction, it's effects already starting to take hold, numbing the agony inside.

The minister smiled. He said nothing, but there was no need for him to speak, because he was undoing Hiltz' fly. Better than that, he was dragging the trousers off him as Hiltz tried to kick off his boots, in an effort not to annoy the Rare Hertz to the point it would probably tear his legs off to get at him.

Bored with touching and playing, Prozen's eyes darkened as he held Hiltz down with surprising strength, and slid between his thighs-

"AH-!"

Hiltz jerked, his body rising as the Rare Hertz entered him. His fingers dug into Prozen's shoulders, his eyes closed, unsure if he was supposed to despise or enjoy the sensation of being split in two. This was not the man he loved and knew, this was the monster that hid beneath the calm of the water, this was the darker side. Harder and harder he thrust, growling as he did so, and Hiltz moaned and clutched at his inhuman lover, unable to escape the growing fire between his legs. The bed creaked as they moved faster, and the redhead couldn't help himself, leaning his head back and crying out, as both bodies shuddered with release. Hiltz managed to open his eyes, bruised and hurt by the 'attack'. But deep inside, he felt like he deserved it – deserved it for being a bloody idiot and playing with the Reapers in the first place.

To his surprise, Prozen was looking down at him in a mixture of surprise and horror. Not the Rare Hertz, but the person.

"Hiltz?" He whispered.

"Hello, sunshine…wondering…when you'd…come back." Hiltz panted.

"…What's going on…?"

Hiltz laughed. He couldn't help it.

Prozen looked down at the naked and sweating body beneath him, then looked up again, now blushing, not just from exertion but from embarrassment. "Are we…?"

"Yes…we…we just had sex. Just now. Please…you're hurting me…"

"I…I'm so sorry." Prozen moved away from him, cowering a little.

"Not your fault. You weren't yourself." Hiltz went to sit up, winced, and decided against it, staring at the blood on the sheets and on Prozen's lap. "I'm going to feel that in the morning. Fuck that, I'm feeling it now. Shit!"

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No!" Hiltz replied, hurriedly, fearing another attack. "Uh…it's okay. I'm fine."

"No. Really." That look… He moved forward again, his face filled with concern, and held Hiltz gently. The redhead submitted, a strange sense of warmth taking over where the pain had been a moment before. They kissed, and suddenly, everything was fine - Prozen knelt back, nipped his finger enough to bleed and slid it between Hiltz' legs, making him writhe with pleasure and pain simultaneously as the torn flesh healed. He gasped with pleasure, snuggled deeper into Prozen's lap and free arm, spreading his legs wider. For so long he'd been waiting to do this, and now…

"I've changed my mind, take me again." He begged. "I need you. I need you _now_."

"Hiltz?"

"What?" 

The minister's voice was lower than a whisper, his eyes wide. "I don't know _how_."

"Then lie down and let me do it. I want it. I want _you_." Hiltz straddled him. "If I don't do something, I swear I'm going to go _mad_." He felt stronger now. Much stronger, what was inside had faded with the consumption of the elixir. He could _feel_ it working inside his body, could feel it pull things back together, mixing with his own blood and turning it to liquid fire. "I've always loved you, you stupid bastard." He whispered, looking deep into the now normal crimson eyes, a sincere remark, not one inspired by what had gone on before. "I've loved you since the day I saw your crate fall, and you lying there in the straw. I love you."

Prozen's pale cheeks flushed with red again, and he nodded. "But I…you…"

"No need to be scared…I mean, _I_ thought you were going to kill _me_." Hiltz leaned over and kissed his unprotesting lips, then started to lick the blood from his face, the same precious fluid so many had died for, that had flowed from his reborn lover's mouth.

"I'd _never_ do that…" Prozen caught his mouth again, entangling his fingers with the red curls. "Because I love you too…I'm so sorry…"

"I know…don't worry about it, love…" Hiltz moved down, lapping at his neck, nibbling here and there. "…I missed you…"

"Ah…! There…oh…oh _gods_…"

Hiltz chuckled. Fully aroused now, he considered his options for the rest of the evening, and found them all to be pointing to much the same thing. With a lazy smile, content to be protected in the Hertz' aura he cuddled closer to his mate and they kissed again, long and somehow gentle. Dignified. 

Free to enjoy Hiltz for the 'first' time, Prozen shifted his weight so he was beneath his lover. "Make love to me." He murmured in Hiltz' ear.

"With great pleasure…"

~ to be continued.

_See? Told you it was unrealistic._


	26. 25 I seek sanctuary not war

I have taken a real shine to Ina. She was just a pretty face to begin with, some slut for Payne to sleep with, but now…well, you saw in the last chapter she was in that she wasn't all bad. You can be sure she'll be popping up in the odd story in the future. Hmm…and I know just the man for her…*giggles* 

Chapter 25: I seek sanctuary, not war

Karl opened his eyes, dazzled somewhat by the light he had been in before. The IronKong was on its side, and he lay against the safety harness staring through a blurred windshield. 

The last thing he remembered was a bright hot light, and then darkness. Well, he wasn't blind, and he certainly wasn't dead. No, his head was telling him that quite plainly, he was alive. No doubt about it. No doubt at all. 

Ow.

A charged particle beam. Point blank range. 

And he wasn't dead.

_I have to make this look good_.

What had Hiltz meant by that? 

There was a clunk to his left. He groggily raised his head and felt the Zoid lurch as something climbed up onto it and the windshield came away. 

"Colonel Shubaltz sir!" Came a voice. He recognised it as the Reaper who had strolled into the battle with Rhyss, in her GunSniper. She had a few scratches and bruises, but she was walking and coherent, which was a good sign.

"Who won…?" He asked.

"My people retreated." Like a child, she smiled, and he was aware of the hopeless innocence that was in her, that had been so cruelly tarnished by her ordeal with Payne. "My boyfriend thinks I'm dead, apparently."

"Then tell him otherwise."

"Why?"

Slightly knocked back by this question, Karl raised his head. "What?"

"It's a long story. Rhyss is at the base. Lynette…I mean, Fiona's gone."

"Where's Hiltz?"

"Probably doing Payne's dirty work."

"What?"

Ina blinked wretchedly. "He said…he said that he would use Hiltz to break Winter."

"You mean Minister Prozen?"

"Yes. I suppose so. Is that what you've been calling him?" Ina asked, and Karl nodded. "Prozen was a degenerative term we used for his people. It means underground in our language."

"And by breaking him…it means…"

"Rare Hertz become adults by loosing their virginity. If you…if you mate one too young…they tend to loose all their power. I heard a Delnian shaman…that when they mate for the first time, the Hertz' soul…it…it goes somewhere, and the instinctual part takes over. A place called the Crimson Sea. The Crimson Sea connects their kind together, and the minds of the Shaman. If they haven't built up enough of a resistance to the pressure and the noise that apparently resides there…then they snap when they try to escape. They can never fully return to their body once the ordeal is over…it's like everything is covered in a mist they can't see through. The power is there, but they cannot bridge the gap between the mind and the body… The instincts to live are still there…feed the body, cleanse the body, and so on…but the soul is gone."

Karl stared at her. "You can live with yourself after doing that to one of them?!"

"Not anymore. Not after what I saw in his eyes. Hiltz…he is a breed apart from my people…and from the Delnia." Her gentle hands undid the straps, and for all her gentle femininity, Karl realised she was surprisingly strong.

"Well that explains Gunther's need to sleep." Karl grunted, happy to have a helping hand. "Look, are you going to kill me after this?"

"No. I seek sanctuary. I failed in my task, and so would loose my GunSniper. She means everything to me…I don't want to loose her." Her amber eyes were hopeful. "I have heard so many things about your people from Rhyss…you are…you have _rules_ that feel right to me."

Karl bit his lip. "I'll try and put a good word in, but I'm more concerned with what Hiltz is doing. Any idea where he was heading?"

"I intercepted a transmission from the others…a mansion somewhere. Our base of operations. Just out of the city you call Guygulos…"

"Well I'll be. Prozen's old place. Interesting. Does your Zoid still have transmitting capabilities, apart from the accessing of information?"

"Of course." Ina pointed at the standing Zoid that creaked and looked over to them. "Most Reaper Zoids have organoid systems built into them. Most were destroyed, but some were saved from the war, and we kept them. The system is known as the Ultimate-X system…hard to come by. The Prozen…I mean, the Hertz…they buried most of them. Sealed them away so we couldn't get at them." Ina closed her eyes. "You must hurry. I have a feeling Payne will try and get there first, and he…he will kill Hiltz."

Karl hopped down the rest of the way and leant against his Zoid's arm to catch his breath. "I don't care if he kills _that_ bastard, it's the minister I'm worried about."

"You don't understand, do you? We could _never_ reach Hiltz. No matter how hard we tried. He's been keeping a part of himself spare from the other Reapers, biding his time until there was a chance he could do things properly." Ina hopped down beside him. "Hiltz may look, act and talk like a Reaper, but he is still Hiltz. He is the real Hiltz, not the one we manipulated after the creation of the DeathStinger. We have been watching, waiting, playing and controlling him right from then on in. But then…Payne is so very strong…and Hiltz may have been acting on his wishes…"

Karl stared at her.

"Call your brother, Colonel Shubaltz. The night is still young, the moon is rising. Blood will be spilt tonight in more ways than one."

The GenoSniper trotted over, growled, then crouched, allowing him to crawl into the cockpit and boot up the communications channel, in the hope it would boost his mobile phone. 

It rang once. Twice. Three times. Sweat crawled down Karl's back. Finally, at the fifth ring, it was answered. Distant voices, he was sure he heard Raven's voice yelling at Shadow to give him the mobile, and the strange grunting noise coming down the line was obviously the organoid. Finally, someone wrestled it free, and Raven's whuff of surprise was a welcome sound. "Hello?"

"It's Karl. Look, I need to speak to Thomas."

"He's in the shower."

"Is he?"

"Um, yeah. What's the matter?"

Distantly, he could have sworn he heard Thomas yell 'hang up, and get back here.' "Prozen's been taken."

"_What_?!"

"The base was attacked, and somehow Hiltz slipped in and stole him away. He…he attacked…" No. No he didn't. The only thing Hiltz had done was defensive manoeuvrers, and a single cannon blast. All the damage had been done by…him. "…He was attacked by myself and two others, but got away." Karl corrected himself. "He's at Prozen's old estate. Raven, you have to get him out of there. Now. The Reapers are hot on their trail. They want blood."

"Okay." Raven replied, surprisingly calm. He shifted from playful Raven to military Raven, and Karl could practically hear him stand to attention. "How many Zoids, approximately?"

"You're not to fight. The Reapers will switch tactics and probably coerce the Republic army to help them. They fought with sleepers, mostly. No actual recognisable Zoids to identify. Hurry. Please. I'll join you…when I can."

"Are _you_ okay?"

Karl raised his head and watched the Reaper standing in the sand. She was looking towards the base where there was a pair of headlights coming along in their direction. "I'm fine. Someone's keeping an eye on me here, and help is on the way. I may be a fugitive, but right now there are bigger things on their minds."

"Right…take care, Karl."

Karl smiled in the light of the controls. "Yeah. Thanks Raven. Same to you. Say hi to Thomas for me."

"Sure thing."

The phone fell silent, and the…Ultimate X, as it were…knelt down and let him out and onto the ground. He staggered, still a little shell-shocked from the ordeal, and gratefully leant on Ina's shoulder as the car came into view. 

Gods, he needed to sleep.

_Gunther…I hope you're okay…_

~to be continued

_*notices everyone looking at her in a strange way* No, it's not Karl. Let's just say that Rosso and Viola fans will crucify me. Mmm! Blood! Yummy!_


	27. 26 For everything I've lost I have every...

Chapter 26: For everything I've lost I have everything to gain

There are few words to describe the feeling of warmth and safety a young child feels in a parent's arms. A sort of sleepiness, where you are so aware of everything around you, but it doesn't matter. Nothing can hurt you. You are invincible.

Prozen felt like this now. 

Resting his head against Hiltz' chest, listening to his heartbeat, the Rare Hertz had never felt such peace before, not in living memory. Just here, nuzzled into his partner's body, their arms around each other as they rested, neither wanting to break the spell. A soft caress of his cheek, stirring him slightly from his nap, the shift of the body beside him-

This was heaven. 

Well, it _would_ be if Hiltz stopped twitching.

Sliding on top of his unresisting body, Prozen kissed the tip of Hiltz nose. "…I can't sleep if you keep fidgeting. Something is wrong. Would you like to share it?"

"…" He'd never seen Hiltz look so tired before. "…I don't think we're safe here."

"…But…but this is my home…"

"It _was_ your home, love." Hiltz ran his fingers through the long silver tresses, and Prozen shivered with delight. "…It's been in neglect for a year…and then for the rest of the time…it's been the Reaper's base. I don't think we can stay here for much longer."

Prozen growled, his lips pulling back revealing a pair of fangs. It was just a warning, he hadn't meant to do that, but it had the desired effect of a tighter embrace, and more security. In fact the hug was a little _too_ tight.

"Don't growl at me. It's not my fault. This was the only place I could think of where we wouldn't be disturbed." Came the reprimanding purr of the taller man.

When Hiltz let him go, Prozen sat up and got off the bed, his shoulders hunched like a scolded child.

"Don't look like that." Hiltz sat up, and ran his fingers through his crimson curls to try and tame them into submission. "Get dressed…and I'll meet you downstairs, okay? I have some things to take care of."

"Am I not one of those things?" He hadn't meant to say it, but it was out anyway. By instinct alone he knew he had to rest, seeing as the massive changes going on inside of him were taking up all the energy he had. All he wanted to do was rest, preferably in the company of Hiltz so that no one would be there to bother him. Hiltz' face was a passing sentiment of guilt, fear, and pain. 

"Yes." He said softly. "You are something I want to take care of. I always will – but this place is not _just_ the site of your rebirth…it's a site of death. The Reapers dominated this place. Can't you feel their poison seeping into your skin?"

"No." Prozen replied flatly. "I can't."

"Well, perhaps asking you in this room wasn't really appropriate. They steered clear of this room for obvious reasons. I must destroy this building, and the corruption in it. I mean, I watched them kill one of your kind today. She was old and weak, and she knew who I was…she begged me to take care of you. Told me you would take care of _me_. My DarkSpiner…was a gift from her to me. She needn't have died to make it…but she gave everything to give it life. I know this is your home, Gunther…but the longer it stands, the more death will come out of its doors."

This building? His home? But it was odd to think of this construct as home, now he remembered what life had once been like. But while a part of him ached to be safe within the darkness, another part of him had learnt to like the sun. He could feel the energy around him begin to twist a little as the sky lightened. He could also feel something else – and not to his surprise, either - Ambient was heading their way. The organoid disliked being apart from his partner for any length of time. 

Prozen smiled half to himself and rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. "Of course. I'm sorry. Was it a peaceful death?"

"It's okay. You're exhausted, pet. The body…I don't think it was disposed of. But what matters is that I think she died with a smile on her face. I don't want you down there when I fix up most of the self-destruct systems down in the laboratory. With all the ammunition lying around, it'll go up in smoke in a matter of seconds."

"…Is there anything I can save?"

"I don't think so." Hiltz replied, pulling on some of his clothing.

"Raven…" For a moment he was lost, trying to remain who and what he was, but not forget what he had been. Raven…had grown up in this house.

"He was staying here on and off when he was depressed. Most of the stuff was moved out, personals I mean. Stored away. May I ask exactly why you have a Zoid manufacturing machine under your house?"

"Zoid…? Manufacturing…?" Prozen blinked. He had never created the machine, no, the only reason it was there was when the emperor discovered his gifts. Not curses, as he had once thought, no.The emperor had him create the royal Redler – the purple one that Rudolph now used. Another wave of distortion passed through his mind and he swayed.

"Gunther!" 

As his feet slipped out from beneath him, he was being held and staring into the dark eyes of his partner. "Hiltz…"

"Shh. I don't need your help setting things up, but I _will_ ask that you dress yourself and wait for me in the main hall."

"Hold me."

"Not here. Later. When we're safe."

Prozen sighed, hugged him a little tighter then untangled himself and started looking for his pants as Hiltz pulled on his overcoat and ran out of the door. He looked longingly at the bed, the bloodied sheets a testament to the eternal bond they now shared. While some might question such a union, the Crimson Sea did not lie. To further the survival of your people and your hope, you did what you were told. Finally finding his jeans (Folded up nicely on a chair by the door) he slipped them on and paused only momentarily to breathe in Hiltz' scent from the bed. Purring quietly he pulled his shirt on, fumbled the buttons and then with a sigh of annoyance forgot about them and went downstairs, picking up the pair of boots laid carefully outside the door. 

Hiltz had to have been very busy in his preparations for the night's activities. He smiled again, touched by the trouble he had gone to in making sure the transition was easy. Had he finished setting up the mechanism? Better go and see… He wandered down the hallway and down the steps to the landing, and sat on the highest step, looking out over the tiled hall where so many diplomats had once gathered. He wondered what they'd think if they knew the truth about him, that at that time, he was nothing more than a very bright child who was trying to understand a strange world around him, and try to stay healthy. How many times had he fallen ill due to something he'd eaten? Too much time in the sun?

_I wonder how many times Rudolph the first sat up with me through the night when he believed I was a child. When he held me, what he was thinking? And when he thought I was getting into the teenage years, why I never caused trouble?_

And when he fell ill then, it was either Hiltz or Patricia who took care of him- 

_Patricia!!_

A sob escaped him. Dear, silly little Patricia. Such an innocent child. No, not a child, a woman, a strong woman at that. Who rarely smiled when her father left her mother and little Patricia all alone. Patricia, who one day became Lieutenant Patricia Hardin, and who one day died for something she truly believed in. Patricia was a believer all right. And Dark Kaiser had killed her for it.

"Hey."

Jerked from his reminiscing, Prozen looked over the banister and gave his lover a sad smile. "Finished?" He felt bad about not joining Hiltz down below to set up the self-destruct program in the basement, but he simply couldn't. Just the mention of the dead body within the tube brought back too many memories.

"Just about. I'm glad you didn't go down there. The vibrations down there…hell, even _I_ can feel them. They installed a Mern pool too. Disgusting."

"How do _you_ feel?" Prozen asked, still wondering about how he had attacked his lover less than an hour ago.

Hiltz smirked. "My ass doesn't hurt."

Prozen rolled his eyes. "It will if you come up here and let me spank you for that remark. Seriously. I said I was sorry, I couldn't exactly _control_ it now, could I? What I mean is, how do you feel about all of this?"

"I feel excited for the most part. I still have some of the side effects of those slugs, and I can feel them coming. The Reapers I mean. They feel strange, angry."

"As can I." Prozen stood up and walked down the stairs into the arms of his lover. "I'm scared. I'm sick of being afraid all the time."

"Are we going to die?"

"How the hell do I know?" Prozen rested his head against Hiltz' chest. "Ambient's coming."

"Is he? Well, that's all right then." Hiltz kissed the top of his head. "Are you going to be all right over destroying this place? I mean, it hold a lot of memories for you…"

"Yes…but…"

"What?"

Prozen looked up, meeting the gaze of Hiltz, and thought about the people he had known and called family in his past life. "Sometimes you have to let past grievances go. The good parts I'll remember always. But there are bad parts too, parts where I felt…so afraid…and so alone…"

"Not anymore." Was the whispered reply. Their lips met lightly.

Standing there, in the hall, Prozen felt a brief tug of remembrance at his soul, at everything that had gone and everything that might be. For a moment he stood in the noise protected by Hiltz' embrace, as people moved past them, conversations moved over their heads, and gently, the Rare Hertz pushed away the pain and sorrow, pushed away his past. He slid into this strange new place set for him and slowly opened his eyes, wondering if he should slip into the twin pools of darkness in front of him, or pull away. Hiltz' brow tightened, and he closed his eyes, burying his face in Prozen's hair.

"Oh gods I missed you." He breathed.

Still caught in the tug of negativity, Prozen tried to find a way out, not understanding why he couldn't rid of himself of it. It suddenly occurred to him that this wasn't the past…this was the present… "Hiltz…We have to continue this later." His grip tightened on his lover's sleeves as they were engulfed by shadows of immense creatures outside, the Reaper's Zoids. Prozen could hear their frightened minds, as their scanners picked up what the mansion was hiding. "…They…"

"I'm here. It's okay." Hiltz straightened, tightening his grip around Prozen's body as the doors creaked and moved inward, destroyed by the heavy artillery they were eager to bring out. "Well, we were always the ones to make a grand entrance and exit, weren't we?"

"HILTZ!" Roared a familiar voice.

Prozen hid his face in the soft fabric of Hiltz' tunic. That voice brought back things he had long since buried. A youth, hanging over his cage, leering, stinking, and cracking jokes. Beating an Aether to death there, under the shocked and horrified eyes of the prisoners, tearing away what little innocence there was left. It made his shiver all over, worse than the time he'd caught Hommelef and his mistress on the conference table, and the look…the emotions…the foul stinking _nothingness_…

"_Hiltz_…" He whispered, almost fainting in terror.

"Hey boss." Came the jaunty reply. 

"What the _fuck_ is going on _here_?!" Payne's fury was barely contained, his anger pulsing wickedly in his twisted soul. 

"Did the job I was born to do."

The Rare Hertz didn't know if he should laugh or cry. His body trembled at the strange sound of Hiltz' voice, all the love and compassion stripped from it. But his touch, ah, the soft waves of reassurance, singing to the tangled threads of his own soul, soothing his fear as much as an honest caress could.

"What?" Payne stared at him, touching the butt of his gun. "You…what?" There was genuine confusion in his tone, in his face.

At first the touch was intimate, one hand tracing down his bare stomach to his crotch, but then it became hard and despite the sentiment it carried, Prozen felt aroused by his sudden manhandling. His long hair was pulled back, jerking his head up to look at his lover. Hiltz' smile was evil, and the kiss by no means chaste nor respectful as the ones they had shared previously were. His tongue darted between his lips stroking his own, inspiring a reaction, deeper and deeper, frantic, hungry, and filled with desire. His free hand fondled him roughly through the material of his jeans as they kissed. Then as quickly as it had come, he was jerked away again, the feral hunger returning back to a smoking heap, his cheeks flushed with both shame and lust.

"Sit."

He obeyed, falling to his knees beside Hiltz' feet, his breathing heavy.

"Well, I'm impressed. Wonderful. I think…this might just make me happy enough to forgive you for killing my bitch. Rhyss limped back to base, and will be punished later on when I find her."

"I should hope so." Hiltz sneered back. "But Ina…? Well, sorry Payne, but she was pathetic."

Payne frowned at him and narrowed his eyes, but as quickly as the displeasure had come it disappeared and he was smiling again. "You're a man after my own heart. You don't mind if I…?"

Movement over him. Prozen slowly looked up, into the grinning face above him, the pale blue eyes filled with hate, thin tongue flicking over pale lips. Hands fumbling at his pants, his half hard member seeing light for a moment as he undid his fly and fiddled with his boxer shorts.

"Actually, I do mind."

Payne's head snapped up. "Sorry?"

"I said, I mind if you get him to suck that weak excuse for a dick you pride so highly." Hiltz put his hands on his hips. "If he's going to do that to anyone, it's going to be me."

"I don't like your tone, half-breed."

"And I don't like your face, but that doesn't mean I can break it every time I see it." The redhead moved suddenly, and Prozen ducked away as Payne was sent flying. "But it doesn't half feel good."

Spluttering, the crumpled Reaper stared at his attacker in disbelief. "You _bastard_!"

"I'm a bastard all right. But not nearly as bad as you. Hate isn't a strong enough word for what I feel towards you, oh no. You raped my mother…you tortured my younger sisters…you chased my father away from home, just to get your way here. How many others did you do that to?" While his tone was civil, there was something in Hiltz' eyes. "And what about _him_? You tore his mother to pieces. You were one of the men who sentenced his father to death. Well guess what, Payne? It's our turn."

"You're right, it's your turn you little fucker, I'm going to kill you dead-" He went to raise his hand and signal his confused men to strike, but something else happened instead.

Smashing through the window in a crimson blur, and revealed itself to be Ambient. He creeled, standing behind his master and Prozen's crouched form, his entire mechanised form twitching for release. 

Payne watched in growing horror as Prozen stood up and burrowed into Hiltz arms.

"You…doublecrossing…little…_fuck_…" He whispered, realising what Hiltz had meant.

As Ambient's chest compartment opened, and the wires bound the two together, Hiltz raised his hand and grinned, pressing the little red button on the remote. The ground started to shake and as fire billowed out of the doors, the last thing Prozen saw before the compartment closed was fire. Fire everywhere, fire eating everything, fire cleansing a poisoned wound. Then all became bright light as he felt Hiltz' body close in and merge with his, warmth and love, such innocence. Because two people, especially one being a Rare Hertz, should never merge in an organoid.

That just leads to trouble.

~ to be concluded. 

_Yeah, there was some serious foreshadowing. I've dropped hints in the past, if you haven't caught up, then damn, you need some help. or me to get the information page at LOVEbox up. Woohar! Could you tell that this was actually two chapters? I had to take one away and then scrap the others after it to make it better. Okay, read the last one now!_


	28. 27 Don't know what you've got 'till it's...

Chapter 27: Don't know what you've got till it's gone

His name was Van Flyheight.

He was a failure.

All of his life, he had dreamed of being the best Zoid pilot in the world. Wanted to earn enough money to get into the battles held in the centre of the Elemia Desert. Instead, he had been chased into a ruin by a guy who had probably died of some venereal disease a few years ago and had stumbled on two beings who would change his life forever.

Life is made up of high points and low points, but they only amount up to a tiny part of life. Everything else is the mundane boring crap everyone deals with.

Was finding Zeke a high point? Yes.

Was finding Fiona a high point?

He wasn't so sure.

He had been left ultimately responsible for someone who was so terribly young in mind, so very innocent. At first it had been kind of weird, even annoying, but he had come to love her, eventually. But Fiona had always held something back from him. Oh, she depended on him and everything, which was kinda cool, but didn't she ever think about his dreams?

He had become a part of the Guardian Force to further his training, to be what he wanted. But he had never meant to loose Fiona. Never. Not on you life, old son.

But…

…In the heat of battle…

…Proving his worth…

…Doing what he loved best…

He had lost someone he didn't even know he had. 

And it _hurt_.

Staring out at the sands as the sun climbed into the azure bowl of the sky, he listened to the voices around him, the concerned messages he received were automatically replied to, as he was no longer really hearing them.

The Red Sun had been destroyed, apparently. Sent by the Republic to destroy Minister Prozen and his followers, he had retreated to his mansion, and heroically, the Red Sun had destroyed it at the expense of their lives. Some remained, but their charismatic leader was supposedly at ground zero. Neither his body, nor that of the Minister's, however, had been recovered.

Karl was in the medical wing, being bandaged up from his suicide attempt when he attacked that weird DarkSpiner. Sad about him really. He was an okay pilot. Not as good as Captain Janae. As for Captain O'Connell, he was keeping a low profile. Van wondered why, but didn't follow it.

Thomas was still missing. He and his brother had been pardoned after Karl had said something about them protecting the president's mother from the evil minister. He had been spitting hellfire about the man, but there was something in his eyes, jealousy perhaps? Van wasn't sure.

Everyone else was fine.

"Lieutenant Flyheight?" Asked a voice at his side. Female, a little like Fiona's. He turned, and jerked in surprise when he realised the woman in question had long dark green hair and amber eyes. She wore a Republican uniform, and her long hair was tied back at the nape of her neck, and plaited to her waist. "Lieutenant Flyheight, sir? My name is In…my name is Sharris. I'm…I was a part of the Red Sun, but I've defected now."

"Why?" He asked tiredly.

"Nothing to go back to. Sir, you presence is requested in the hanger. Your students want to give you a message."

Van nodded slowly, and began to walk, Private Sharris beside him. "You're the one who brought Karl in."

"Yes sir."

Silence for a moment as he pondered his future. He had done so much, been so giving. Couldn't for once be without guilt? Couldn't he just let go?

 Van stopped, and made his decision, his dark eyes dead of any emotion. "Tell them I will be there soon, Private. My Liger needs seeing to from the last battle."

And so the game was set. The players would travel onwards on their twisting paths, sometimes meeting, sometimes missing each other, but each deeply entrenched on a new and strange lane of destiny. For the old war was far from gone, though the humans thought it dead and buried, ignorant of the truth that stared them blindly in their faces. As the living members of the Red Sun and their Zoids, each were retrieved and helped, and one woman smiled at the day, at the message that blipped into her inbox in her email, at the words that simply scribed:

Mother -

We're okay. Hiding until further notice. Take care

- Gunther

And then she knew everything would be all right, not because of the words, but because of the woman's intuition she had relied on and survived with for so long.

Life's funny like that.

~ the end

_Author's long winded notes, shown during the song **Here** by Vast:_

There's been a rash of Prozen fics on FF-net (Ewwwwww) and I'm wondering why. Does that annoy people? Do I annoy people with my writing and stuff?

_This story was originally really crap. I think some of you may have read it, and I'm sorry! Really! _

I honestly don't know what to say. I suppose inspiration should come first: 

_Big thumbs up to the amazing **Skeyeta**. If it hadn't been for Day of the Dead I would never have thought of pairing Hiltz and Prozen together._

_Lots of cookies and an Ambient plushie for **Biowolf** for helping me with Hiltz and with words of encouragement ^^ (You did help, really. If you hadn't written that rant, I never would have reconsidered things – I had him talking sanely to Thomas!)_

_Thanks goes to **Naomi Hunter** (Read My Morphine!! I cannot stress how cool that story is!!) for that gift fic she wrote for me, We are Eternal, and the fact that she was the person who got me into Raven/Thomas stuff. Woohar! I also need her to take a bow for helping get the idea of evil Fiona into my head._

_To **Dana**, for the whole DarkSpiner thing. DarkSpiners rock. I have one sitting in my bookcase, alongside Irvine's CommandWolf._

_To **FraulineColonel**: For helping me write Karl! (Sorry for the weird romance thing tho'. Oh, wait, you're not reading this because of the P-word, are you? Prozen, Prozen, Prozen, PROZEN!! *Laughs manically enough to put Prozen to shame and falls over*_

_Ahem. And of course, thanks to my reviewers, for being nice enough to leave me a message. _

_So where did this all come from?_

_I don't know if anyone remembers Doctor D mentioning that there were other people on Zi when the Zoidians lived, but you never found too much of it. That got me thinking. What also got me thinking was why was the DeathSaurer made in the first place, and why was Fiona spared? Why would EVE, if she's so important to the Zoidians, allow such a thing to be created? The whole Rare Hertz thing…how could a ecological phenomena move around unless it was **alive**? _

_It struck me as the Dark Kaiser being a creature in it's own right. I thought Hiltz went downhill in the end of the anime, as if something was going on in his head. And as for Rhyss, well, I admit it the only reason I was nice to her was because of Nao-Nao's My Morphine. _

_I admit I used my relationship with Sym-chan to help me write this for the nice parts ^^ *hugs her BF to death*_

_Symbrio: @_@;;_

_I hopped from story to story I'd written in the past to bring up things. Like the whole FireBlood thing. I don't know why I shoved that in there, it just sounded right, a sort of weird and wonderful talent. To be honest, I'm sitting here, it's a Saturday night, a week after the original author's notes, seeing as I had to rewrite the ending, and it's around a quarter to 11. Zombie Plink tomorrow ^^;; _

_What does happen next? Should I continue it? I don't know if I should, it was partially inspired by The Kurowong…*evil smirk* I kind of want to continue it, but going on with different couples and the like. I don't think the next story, if I wrote it, would be nearly as long as this one. Whoa! I finished a fic! Is it coherent? Really? Can you tell me please? Did I explain it to a point of believability? _

_*silence*_

_I enjoyed writing this. It was an escape from tafe, and all the stress. Even though I'm only going two days, it's blown my mind…whoa…_

_Parting note to those who read this and don't review: it's people like you who drive people like myself and others nuts. It's not really fair. If you didn't like it, then why are you reading it and why didn't you tell me to shut up in the first place? To those who liked it, what would you like to see next, remembering that I may not listen anyway?_

_So taking the lead from FireFox and the wonderful Biowolf: I love Prozen (and Hiltz ;p)_

_Merry part!_

_~ Atkinson/Plink,_

_All original characters and concepts are © **STUDIOplink** 2003._

**_Zoids_**_ and all associated characters are © **Tomy** (I think) and therefore are not owned by the author of this fic, unless the rights to Prozen, possible Hiltz if I can get there first and Ambient (Apologies to Shiro) are up for sale then things could change. Freedom of speech is allowed, as long as flamers can back up what they say to her._

_Marius: That ending sucked. They're going to kill you; you know that, don't you?_

_Shut up. You're giving the game away by being here._

_Marius: Not that I care. _

_The story continues, of course._

_Marius: I should hope so. My brother and I have to be _born_ you know._

_Yeah but-_

_Brad: Coffee? Now?_

_Marius: Coffee is bad for us, Brad._

_Brad: Says you._

_Marius: Says dad. So stop it._

_Bard: No!_

_Marius: You're such a wanker! You were raised by humans!_

_Brad: Shut UP!!_

_BOYS!!_

_Luca: Can I have a biscuit? Ambient stole mine._

_Oh gawd. The lot of you, bugger off. Now. It's over. Really._

_Honest. Review. Please?_


End file.
